VIDEO: Fabregas & Costa BOOED as Chelsea fans get behind Mourinho

 

The Portuguese manager was hailed by fans at Stamford Bridge with cheers and banners as two of the players most widely linked to dressing room discontent were jeered

With Guus Hiddink present in Roman Abramovich's box at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea fans took exception to the Russian's decision to sack Jose Mourinho, launching into chants in support of their former manager and roundly booing the names of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas as they were announced in the starting line-up.

Mourinho was sacked on Thursday following a disastrous start to the club's Premier League title defence, suggesting that his players had "betrayed him" following the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on Monday.

But while Abramovich moved to dismiss the Portuguese manager, the feeling around Stamford Bridge prior to kick-off with Sunderland was that the decision was incorrect.

Fans were late to fill the stadium, but once they did, the shows of support for the 52-year-old began.

Two banners heralded Mourinho as "simply the best" and "one of us", while chants of 'Jose Mourinho' followed each goal, supporters defiantly sticking by the club's most successful manager of the Premier League era.

That atmosphere in support of Mourinho, however, contrastly fiercely with the reaction to Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, two of the players rumoured to have had major issues with their manager this season.

The fans did not hold back their anger with the two Spain internationals, loudly sounding their disapproval as the stadium announcer twice ran through the starting line-up.

In his statement following his appointment on Saturday, Guus Hiddink talked of his determination to turn things around but the fans' reaction during the match with Sunderland suggests the scars of this season will not fade quickly.