Jose Mourinho concedes title is out of Chelsea's reach after latest slip-up

After watching Chelsea go down to John Terry’s own goal at struggling Palace their coach said his side could no longer win it and spelled out candidly why.

“The title just won’t happen now,” said Mourinho. “We depend too much now on other results.

“When you depend a little on others it is possible. But not when there is a lot. I know mathematically it is still possible, but we depend too much on others now with just six matches to go.

“Mentality has been our downfall. Some of our players simply can’t perform to their profile all the time. Every one of the Crystal Palace players was committed today and that is very important. We missed that quality today.

“People like Ivanovic, John Terry, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta perform in every game. In the sun, in the snow, on big pitches and small pitches. Others are fantastic in some matches but then disappear in others.”

And it was then that he spelled out on my notepad the quality he believes those players lack. In big capitals, it read B***S!

Mourinho, who went into the Palace dressing room afterwards to congratulate his conquerers, added: “Every one of their players performed to his full potential. Mine did not.”

He also warned that if he thought some of them had had one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Paris St Germain in France, they could well find themselves left out.

Mourinho’s dismal day was compounded by a clash with a ball boy he believed was holding on to the ball to waste time.

And he took a thinly-disguised swipe at Palace for encouraging the youngster to do it.

He said: "I went to protect the lad because I feared Azpilicueta might lose emotional control and hurt him.

“The boy was educated to do this but when something happens the person who educated him disappears.

“The kid was cute but I told him ‘if you do this one day somebody will punch you’.

“But it is not the kid’s fault.”

He added: “Now we have to finish our last six matches as best we can but I don’t think we can win the league.”