Jose Mourinho hails 'phenomenal' Chelsea as Blues close in on first title since 2010 despite half-time rollicking against Leicester

Jose Mourinho hailed his ‘phenomenal’ side after John Terry’s scrappy goal put Chelsea on the brink of the Premier League title.

But the Chelsea manager was forced to give his players a half-time rollicking after falling behind to relegation-threatened Leicester.

Victory at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday will now hand Chelsea their first league crown since 2010.

John Terry (right) flicks home from close range after a scramble in the Leicester box following a corner

John Terry (right) flicks home from close range after a scramble in the Leicester box following a corner

Terry turns and celebrates after making it 2-1 to Chelsea with a close-range finish against Leicester City

Terry turns and celebrates after making it 2-1 to Chelsea with a close-range finish against Leicester City

‘It is phenomenal what my team are doing,’ said Mourinho. ‘Being top of the league since day one is not easy; I think we are what every team would like to be.


‘Stamford Bridge is ready to celebrate but if I can ask something from them it is to not celebrate. We all want to win on Sunday but it will be a difficult game. Stamford Bridge must be ready to push us.

‘The April month, where everybody expected Chelsea to drop points playing difficult matches against teams fighting not to be relegated as well as Arsenal and Man United, was exactly the month where we destroy opponents.

‘It was a month without Diego (Costa), without (Loic) Remy, with Didier (Drogba) and Oscar playing striker, no other solutions, just this small group of players we have. We were tactically phenomenal, team spirit, team ethic, the way we defended, the way we were clinical with our goals, the stability we showed in every game.

‘In this moment we are 13 points ahead of second. We won every game except the draw against Arsenal. The boys, when the pressure was on, were even stronger.

‘The old and the young. Petr Cech, great performance, John, Didier, Branislav (Ivanovic), but other giants on the pitch, (Nemanja) Matic, (Cesc) Fabregas, Ramires. A great team. So I'm so, so happy. I just need three more points to celebrate.’

Ramires (right) struck his effort with such power that he had both feet off the ground at one point

Ramires (right) struck his effort with such power that he had both feet off the ground at one point

Jose Mourinho watches on with muddy shoes just as his side scored against Leicester City

Jose Mourinho watches on with muddy shoes just as his side scored against Leicester City

Jose Mourinho must feel like he is walking on water as his Chelsea side edged another step closer to the title

Jose Mourinho must feel like he is walking on water as his Chelsea side edged another step closer to the title

Leicester, on a run of four successive wins, led at the break through Marc Albrighton’s goal. But Didier Drogba equalised, Terry put Chelsea ahead, and Ramires added a late screamer.

‘If I tell you what I said it will be 'peep peep peep'. Too many peeps!’ laughed Mourinho.

Terry added: ‘They were a tough side and they kept fighting. We got a telling off at half-time and we came out and played excellently in the second half. It wasn't good enough in the first half but listen, we got the three points.

Drogba looks on as his effort from inside the box drifts in to the far corner past goalkeeper Schmeichel

Drogba looks on as his effort from inside the box drifts in to the far corner past goalkeeper Schmeichel

‘We've been the best side all season. We deserve a lot of respect, we've been very good all year. Let's hope we win it on Sunday. We are almost there.’

Drogba said: ‘We don't get enough credit. We are top of the league, we have the most points and people find us boring because we've been top since day one.’

Leicester lost Andy King and Robert Huth to injury in the first 25 minutes and manager Nigel Pearson rued the double loss, while praising Chelsea's champion qualities.

‘It was difficult tonight because we've had to make substitutions which in normal circumstances we wouldn't have done - but that's life,’ he said.

Drogba (right) wheels away in celebration as his team-mates Eden Hazard and WIllian congratulate him 

Drogba (right) wheels away in celebration as his team-mates Eden Hazard and WIllian congratulate him 

‘I don't think our players deserved being on the end of a 3-1 defeat because it was a tighter game than that.

"I've heard criticisms of Chelsea in recent weeks and I find it very bemusing. The best sides are able to win games in different ways and they've illustrated that tonight.

‘I think they're a really good side and have some great players. I'm not oblivious to the views that were spouted at the weekend in terms of style of football but I'm a big believer in winning games and that's it.

‘Chelsea are worthy champions.’

Drogba (centre) was the star of the show for Chelsea - and he was leading his team-mates in celebrations

Drogba (centre) was the star of the show for Chelsea - and he was leading his team-mates in celebrations