José Mourinho expressed his frustration after Benfica's 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the Champions League, insisting that victories, not memories, sustain him. The Portuguese manager, who enjoyed two successful spells at Stamford Bridge, received a warm reception from the home fans but saw his side undone by an own goal from Richard Ríos.
Mourinho, now winless in his last seven visits to Chelsea, acknowledged the challenge of leading Benfica into the knockout stages. 'I don't feed myself with these memories, I feed myself with results,' he said. 'My career took me to a position where everybody thinks I have magic to make things happen.'
The 62-year-old reflected on his past achievements, including winning trophies at Manchester United and reaching European finals with Tottenham and Roma, but noted that it is 'never enough.' He added, 'If I am in a job I like to put myself on the line every day. I am desperate to win the match, that is the nature.'
Mourinho believed Benfica deserved at least a point, stating, 'We deserved something. We started well, we controlled and had chances for sure. The goal is the only mistake we made defensively.'
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was pleased with the win, which ended a poor run, but lamented João Pedro's red card in added time, the third in as many games for Chelsea. 'Another red card that we need to avoid,' Maresca said. The suspension will leave Chelsea short of attacking options for their next match against Ajax.
Maresca acknowledged Chelsea's performance was not at its best but emphasised the importance of grinding out results. 'We needed the win. Second half we dropped. We have some players on the pitch that unfortunately are not 100% but are playing because we have seven or eight out. Sometimes you need to learn to win in an ugly way,' he said.
