Mourinho aiming for 2014 top spot after 'deserved' win

 

Mourinho aiming for 2014 top spot after 'deserved' win

Chelsea manager delighted with success against West Ham but insists title race is far from ove

Jose Mourinho revelled in a 'deserved' win over West Ham United that left Chelsea on the brink of ending 2014 at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

An expected tricky clash with Sam Allardyce's side on Friday proved anything but as goals from John Terry and Diego Costa earned a simple 2-0 triumph.

The victory means Chelsea are three points above champions Manchester City and will remain at the summit ahead of their final match of the year at Southampton, who replaced West Ham in fourth position following a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace, on Sunday.

"We are clearly title contenders, but we still have to finish the first step and there's a lot to come"
Jose Mourinho

Mourinho though, is refusing to get carried away, insisting the season is still young.

He told Sky Sports: "We deserved it. We played a very good game against a difficult opponent. When we scored, I think we always had the game under control.

"They had a reaction in the second half but the second [goal] gave us further control. They should have scored at the end, which was lucky for us. But I am very pleased.

"I am really happy. We are doing very well and we have one more match until the end of the year and we will try to finish first."

Speaking about Chelsea's position in the table, Mourinho added: "It is the football of the team that leads (the table) and we are playing very well.

"We are clearly title contenders, but we still have to finish the first step and there's a lot to come."

Kompany set to bolster Man City defence

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany could return for Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Burnley, according to manager Manuel Pellegrini.

The Belgium defender has been out of action since Man City's 1-0 win over Leicester City earlier this month with a hamstring problem, joining the likes of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic on the treatment table.

But, following Friday's 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, Pellegrini revealed Kompany could be in line to feature against Burnley.

"Scoring three goals without strikers is not easy. We are not thinking about Chelsea, we are just thinking about winning our games"
Manuel Pellegrini

"Vincent Kompany maybe could be fit, we will see [on Saturday]," he told reporters.

"Edin Dzeko and Aguero will not be fit. Jovetic was on the bench today so maybe he will be fit for Sunday."

Asked for his views on Man City's routine victory in the West Midlands, Pellegrini expressed his satisfaction at keeping pace with Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea despite the wintry conditions.

A poor first-half from the hosts allowed Man City a 3-0 lead at the interval, with Brown Ideye's late goal proving only a consolation for Alan Irvine's men.

"[I am] very satisfied because we have three points more and because it was a difficult game," the Chilean explained.

"It's always difficult to play West Brom at home because they defend very well but also because we scored three goals even without strikers. In the way we are playing we are doing very well.

"Scoring three goals without strikers is not easy. We are not thinking about Chelsea, we are just thinking about winning our games.

"The title never finishes in December so we are not thinking about any other team."