Chelsea vs. Hull: Jose Mourinho and Steve Bruce Post-Match Reaction

Chelsea fended off the challenge of Hull City with a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to retain their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

It was far from a dazzling performance from the Blues, but manager Jose Mourinho was left feeling content with his squad's display, according Miguel Delaney of ESPN:

Eden Hazard and Diego Costa netted either side of half-time to give the west Londoners their win on home soil, but it was a drab affair in many regards.

With only three shots on target from both teams, Delaney summarised that the post-match chatter was also searching for excitement:

Unfortunately, that lack of drama led to a more concentrated focus on the diving that was seen at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, although Tom Huddlestone's second-half red card wasn't as contentious.

Hull boss Steve Bruce had no issues with the sending off according to BBC Sport's Tom Rostance, but Sky Football's Daniel Storey quotes the tactician in lumping some of the blame with Gary Cahill's alleged simulation:

Bruce also felt referee Chris Foy could have given the visitors a larger portion of the decisions and risks punishment for his comments on the official:

Throughout the fixture, Mourinho and Bruce participated in some friendly camaraderie between opponents, irrespective of the result.

Mourinho was quizzed on his relationship with Bruce and replied that the two get along well, as is not necessarily the case with all of his counterparts:

Bruce added to that in saying the pair even talked about some taboo subjects, per BBC Sport:

Delaney and Ben McAleer of WhoScored.com give added quotes from Bruce on the topic of diving in relation to Cahill's incident, with the Tigers chief clearly intent on seeing this aspect of the sport eradicated:

The visiting manager was ultimately accepting of his team's defeat, but controversial subjects play heavily on Bruce's mind in the larger picture.

Nevertheless, Mourinho will be pleased in the face of such subjects as long as his side continue to take results in the hope that they can once again pull away from the Premier League pile.