It's Chelsea versus Manchester United in the FA Cup on a Monday night, and what the competition has lost in tradition tonight (no replay, a fourth sub allowed in the event of extra time, both teams taking the game seriously) it has gained in #narrative. Jose Mourinho is back at the club with whom he made his name in England, although it may be more accurate to say the club with whom he backed up his self-appointed role as The Special One.
You may remember, in the dredges of the Mourinho's second spell at Chelsea, with the club languishing in the bottom half, Mourinho lost the rag after defeat to Leicester. He threw his players under the bus he had once parked, accusing players of "betraying" his good work.
Mourinho was sacked days later, with Chelsea's next home game marked by pro-Mourinho chants, with some homemade banners derided the "three rats": Hazard, Costa, and Cesc. All three players were booed.
Now that Mourinho is in Manchester and Antonio Conte has restored Chelsea to champions-elect, the memory of these Chelsea fans has faded, quickly. Tonight, the chants are anti-Mourinho.
How things change. The Chelsea fans beside press box singing "fuck off Mourinho", "you ruined it" and making gestures after he complains.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) March 13, 2017
Chelsea fans now calling Mourinho "Judas". To be fair to Mourinho, Judas didn't come back for a second spell with Jesus, then get sacked.
— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) March 13, 2017
Jose Mourinho responds to Chelsea fans
Mourinho responding by holding up three fingers, presumably to remind the fans of the three Premier League titles that HE won while at the club.
Jose responds to chants of "f**k off Mourinho" from the CFC fans with a reminder of how many titles he won for them pic.twitter.com/KnrLLTERCP
— Man Utd Videos ⚽️? (@ManUtdVines) March 13, 2017
It's been tetchy: Ander Herrera's sending off led to a feisty exchange between the managers on the touchline.
