Jose Mourinho’s best battles with West Ham
Jose Mourinho begins life as Tottenham boss with a trip to West Ham on Saturday lunchtime.
Mourinho has had some battles with the Hammers in previous stints with Chelsea and Manchester United, some going for him and some against him.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of those classic meetings.
Chelsea 4 West Ham 1 – April 2006
Chelsea’s long-standing unbeaten home record looked vulnerable when they fell behind to James Collins’ goal and then saw Maniche sent off seven minutes later. But they were a machine at that time under Mourinho and goals from Didier Drogba and Hernan Crespo turned it around before the break. They went on to make it a rout after the break as John Terry and William Gallas got on the scoresheet to move the Blues closer to a second successive Premier League crown.
West Ham 2 Chelsea 1 – October 2015
Full-time: West Ham 2-1 Chelsea. #CFCLivepic.twitter.com/neZoUXYo4l— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2015
The reigning champions were in disarray when they visited Upton Park the following season and sat in 11th. Mourinho was under pressure and his side were clearly not playing for him as they put in a shoddy performance in the capital. They fell behind early to Mauro Zarate’s opener and were up against it when Nemanja Matic was sent off before the break. Gary Cahill brought the 10 men level, but Andy Carroll’s 79th-minute winner condemned Chelsea to another defeat, which left them 15th and edged Mourinho closer to the sack.
Manchester United 4 West Ham 0 – August 2017
A job well done! 👏 #MUFCpic.twitter.com/rS7e7nMSf5— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 13, 2017
United hit the ground running in Mourinho’s second season in charge as they hammered West Ham on the opening weekend. Romelu Lukaku had a debut to remember as he struck either side of half-time to put the hosts in charge at Old Trafford. Goals from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba in the final three minutes put the icing on the cake and led the way for United’s best finish since Sir Alex Ferguson left.
West Ham 3 Manchester United 1 – September 2018
What. A. Performance. pic.twitter.com/e1DDudjmjk— West Ham United (@WestHam) September 29, 2018
Things were beginning to fall apart for Mourinho at Manchester United and his already grizzly mood was made worse by a chastening defeat at the London Stadium. United fell behind early to Felipe Anderson’s goal and their plight worsened after Victor Lindelof put through his own net. Marcus Rashford gave his side hope after the break, but Marko Arnautovic completed a torrid afternoon for Mourinho, who was sacked less than three months later.
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