MX23RW : Friday, February 28 01:17:54| >> :600:467904:467904:
Feb 22, 2020 at 12.30pm UK at ​Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 40,608
Chelsea
2-1
SpursTottenham Hotspur
Giroud (15'), Alonso Mendoza (48')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Rudiger (89' og.)

Lampard vs. Mourinho: How the two managers fared

Lampard vs. Mourinho: How the two managers fared
© Reuters
Chelsea secured a league double over Spurs.

It was the pupil against the teacher as Frank Lampard's Chelsea took on Jose Mourinho and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard got the bragging rights as the Blues won 2-1, securing a league double over Mourinho's Spurs, in what looks like being a pivotal result in the race for the top four.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how the two managers fared.

Master v Apprentice

Lampard must wish he could come up against his former boss every week as he has now played three games against Mourinho and won three. The first meeting came at their respective former clubs last season as Derby knocked Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup and then Lampard pulled off a real tactical coup over Mourinho in this season's reverse fixture by outsmarting the Portuguese in a 2-0 win in north London. The scoreline was the same at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea made a big statement in the race for the top four with a goal in either half from Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso.

Jose's mole

Mourinho's prior knowledge did not help his side
Mourinho's prior knowledge did not help his side (John Walton/PA)

Mourinho said before the game that he had been told Chelsea were going to play with a back three and his anonymous sources proved spot on. Lampard adopted that formation in the reverse fixture in December, but he has not used it since the game at Arsenal. Knowing how his former player was going to line up perhaps swayed Mourinho's thinking as he matched Chelsea's formation, playing three central defenders of his own.

Mourinho's reception

Mourinho is no longer the hero he once was at Stamford Bridge
Mourinho is no longer the hero he once was at Stamford Bridge (John Walton/PA)

Mourinho may have brought three Premier League trophies to Chelsea over two spells, but his popularity with the fans has waned since his 2015 exit, to the point where they now sing derogatory songs about their former manager. The Portuguese admitted before the game that returning to Stamford Bridge, which was a real fortress for him, is not special anymore and the only good thing about going back is there that he can walk home. He did at least get a warm reception from Lampard before kick-off as the pair shared an embrace.

Parking the bus

Jacques Santini was accused of
Jacques Santini was accused of "parking the bus" by Mourinho when he adopted the same system as the Portuguese (Chris Young/PA)

The irony of Tottenham's 5-4-1 out-of-possession formation should not be lost on anyone. It was sixteen years ago when Mourinho coined the famous term 'park the bus' when Jacques Santini's Spurs came and played a similar system and eked out a 0-0 draw. If Mourinho was hoping for a similar result here, then the gameplan was busted inside 15 minutes as Giroud opened the scoring. With no fit recognised strikers at the club, Spurs had little by the way of a route back into it. After Alonso doubled the lead they briefly gave themselves hope in the 89th minute with the flukiest of own goals.

body check tags ::
Share this article now:
New Instagram promo
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho on February 19, 2020
Read Next:
Jose Mourinho refuses to reveal source of Chelsea leak
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.

rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool27261064174779
2Manchester CityMan City27183668293957
3Leicester CityLeicester27155754272750
4Chelsea2713594537844
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd27118841291241
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs2711794436840
7Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd27101072925440
8Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2791263832639
9Arsenal2781363936337
10Burnley27114123339-637
11Everton27106113641-536
12Southampton27104133448-1434
13Crystal Palace2789102432-833
14Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2787122441-1731
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton27610113239-728
16Bournemouth2775152643-1726
17Aston Villa2774163452-1825
18West Ham UnitedWest Ham2766153248-1624
19Watford2759132443-1924
20Norwich CityNorwich2746172451-2718

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!