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On This Day in 2007: Jose Mourinho’s first stint at Chelsea draws to close

(Image credit: Nick Potts)

Jose Mourinho oversaw Chelsea’s stuttering home draw against unfashionable Rosenborg on this day in 2007 – a drab Champions League encounter that proved the last match of his first stint in charge.

The Norwegians stunned the Blues by taking a 24th-minute lead through Miika Koppinen at Stamford Bridge, with Andriy Shevchenko snatching a 1-1 draw for the toothless hosts.

Mourinho spoke of his alarm at Chelsea’s failure to score goals after the match, as well as his concern about heading to Manchester United that weekend without injured stars Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

Chelsea said in a statement: “Jose did not resign and he was not sacked.

“What is clear, though, is we had all reached a point where the relationship between the club and Jose had broken down.

“This was despite genuine attempts over several months by all parties to resolve certain differences.

“The reason the decision has been taken is that we believed the breakdown started to impact on the performance of the team and recent results supported this view.

“We did not want this to continue or affect the club further.”