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Jose Mourinho has revealed why Chelsea were so determined to spoil Liverpool’s title dream in 2014, as he reflected on his side’s 1-0 victory against the Reds at Anfield.
Liverpool, who looked certain to end their 24-year title drought at the end of the 2013-14 campaign, infamously collapsed in the final few matches of the season, losing 2-0 against Chelsea before drawing 3-3 with Crystal Palace to concede the Premier League to Manchester City.
Mourinho’s Chelsea, who won the title the following season, blew open the title race with victory in April, ending the league leaders’ 11-match winning streak under Brendan Rodgers.
Willian scored in injury time to seal the victory for Chelsea, prompting a passionate and overzealous celebration from Mourinho on the touchline. The amped-up manager repeatedly pumped the air and beat his chest, much to the dismay of Liverpool fans.
Jose Mourinho revealed why Chelsea were so determined to spoil Liverpool’s 2014 title dream
Mourinho’s Chelsea defeated Liverpool 1-0 in April 2014, ultimately costing the Reds the title
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard infamously slipped before Demba Ba scored Chelsea’s first
Mourinho, who is now head coach of Serie A side Roma, was speaking on The Obi One podcast
Mourinho revealed why he and his Chelsea team were so desperate to beat Liverpool while appearing as a guest on The Obi One Podcast.
‘It was nothing to do with Brendan. In many fun moments, we used to call Brendan the special two. We had a very good relationship,’ he said.
‘What happened was, we were in the Champions League semi-final. We drew 0-0 with Atletico Madrid and we played at home on the second leg. And this game (against Liverpool) means nothing because we were going to finish second or third.
‘I wanted to play the game on Friday night or Saturday. The Premier League didn’t do that for us. We were crying, we were complaining, we were begging, and they were saying it was because of audiences, because of Sky, because of I don’t know what.
‘For us it was about reaching the Champions League final, but I couldn’t go and play Liverpool with our Under 18s. It wouldn’t have been fair to Man City for us to go there even with our second team, so we wanted to do things in the right way.
Travelling Chelsea fans went wild after Willian netted a second for Mourinho’s side at Anfield
‘We wanted to play on the Friday night or on Saturday at 12pm maximum. They didn’t give us that, so when we went there, we went to destroy their party, and we went there like we were playing for the title, which we weren’t, but we gave everything to try to win.
‘Of course, I gave a bit of rest to one or two guys, I played young (Tomas) Kalas, who had a fantastic game against Luis Suarez. We were on the bus and the guys outside were selling shirts with “Liverpool Champions” on, and you can’t allow that as Chelsea. You have to keep the marketing and merchandise in a box.
‘We played a fantastic match. Of course, Stevie G slipped, and he was the last person who deserved that to happen, but that’s part of football and in reality we played so well.
‘I even felt sorry for Brendan [Rodgers] because I’m always supporting my friends, but on matchday, friends stay at home.’
