LONDON — Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho didn’t hold back in blasting his players after an embarrassing 4-2 loss to third-tier Bradford in the FA Cup on Saturday, saying they should be "ashamed" and describing the result as a "disgrace."
The Premier League leaders squandered a 2-0 lead after 38 minutes in the fourth-round match at Stamford Bridge as Mourinho lost against lower-league opposition for the first time in his two spells at Chelsea.
"I repeat the word that I used yesterday in case we lost — it’s a disgrace," Mourinho said. "A sporting disgrace, but it’s a disgrace."
Chelsea, which has won the FA Cup three times in the past five years, had won all 10 of its Premier League games at home this season. It is only the second home defeat in domestic football for Mourinho as Chelsea manager — after losing to Sunderland last season — and the first time Mourinho has ever seen one of his teams concede four goals in a home game.
"I could find in my bad feeling with the game, and with the result, space to feel happy for them. I’m honest," Mourinho said. "By another side, I feel ashamed and I think the players should feel exactly the same as I feel.
"This is the beauty of football, the beauty of the FA Cup. It happens more in the FA Cup than any other country."
Mourinho made nine changes to the team that started the 1-1 draw against Liverpool in the first leg of the League Cup semifinal on Tuesday. The second leg is this Tuesday.
"The team I select is a good team," Mourinho said. "When we go to the other players, the other players have to be ready to play for Chelsea, to play any game.
"If they cannot play against a team from the Championship or League One or League Two, what do we do?"
