London // Marko Arnautovic returned to haunt Jose Mourinho with a spectacular winner as Stoke City beat Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday to plunge the Premier League champions’ manager’s future into doubt.
Mourinho dubbed Arnautovic “unmanageable” during their time at Inter Milan, but the Austria forward may have had the last laugh with an acrobatic 53rd-minute volley at the Britannia Stadium.
It condemned Chelsea to a third straight league defeat, their seventh in total this league season, and left them in 16th place in the table, heightening the risk that Mourinho, absent from the game due to a stadium ban, will be sacked.
Handed a one-game stadium ban by the English Football Association for berating referee Jon Moss at half time during his side’s recent defeat at West Ham United, Mourinho watched the match at a nearby hotel.
With the international break due to begin, he may not be given a chance to return to the dugout.
Chelsea fans, at least, continue to believe in the club’s most successful manager and showed their support by donning Mourinho masks and chanting his name.
READ MORE
Louis van Gaal blames Paul Scholes for fans ‘attacks’
Title and top-four aspirants Arsenal and Spurs meet with both looking real deal
In continuity with their midweek win over Dynamo Kiev in the Uefa Champions League, Chelsea produced a lively first-half display and went close to scoring when Diego Costa forced Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland to save with his legs.
But they fell behind eight minutes into the second half when former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson’s right-wing cross was inadvertently helped on by Jon Walters to Arnautovic, who volleyed in superbly at the far post.
Pedro hit the post and Eden Hazard put a shot inches wide as Chelsea pushed for a leveller, while Loic Remy hurdled Butland late on, but in trying to stay on his feet he lost balance and shot off target.
The defeat marks the first time Mourinho has ever lost seven league games in one season and is also the first time since October 1999 that Chelsea have lost three league games in a row.
The champions are astonishingly hovering just three points above the relegation zone with further question marks over Mourinho’s future at the club he led to championship glory just six months ago.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NatSportUAE