Stoke vs. Chelsea: Jose Mourinho and Mark Hughes Post-Match Reaction

Chelsea reopened their three-point lead at the head of the Premier League standings on Monday evening thanks to a 2-0 win over Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.     

Jose Mourinho's men came into the fixture anxiously after watching Manchester City draw level on points over the weekend, but the manager was left content to have overcome the Potters' challenge in particular, per the official Chelsea Twitter account:

Stoke are known for causing teams trouble on their home patch, where anything but a win for Monday's guests would have seen their pace as league leaders disrupted further.   

However, Mourinho went on to highlight the importance of this triumph further, quoted by the official Premier League Twitter account as saying it served as something of a statement in their title hunt:

There was a flurry of contentious challenges at the Britannia, but in the wake of his side's win, Mourinho told Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport) that the officials handled the occasion well:

"

At that time [when Phil Bardsley tackled Eden Hazard] I felt the tackle was a bad one but if it was a bad one it was the only one. If the referee decided not to give a red and lost control of the game it is a problem but he kept control and we reacted well. At the end of the day it was a fair game, a typical English winter game.

"

The Blues helmsman went on to take note of his team's Boxing Day clash against West Ham United, pointing out the need to finish 2014 strong and assert themselves ahead of the latter half of their campaign:

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Now we have to focus on the three matches we still have until the end of this period. Playing against Big Sam is a hard job for us, we have to cope with it. The three point lead we have is a little advantage, it is a little pillow we have to protect us—we go home happy and pleased with what we did.

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Mark Hughes' Potters managed to earn a 3-2 victory over the Blues at this stage of the 2013-14 campaign, but were unable to replicate such heroics this time around, with Mourinho evidently wiser to their threat.

Coming into Monday's meeting, the Portuguese insisted his travelling outfit were ready for the test, according to the Premier League's official Twitter account:

As a result, Chelsea now guarantee their place atop the summit heading into Christmas. The Blues have won back-to-back league games for the first time since late November after suffering setbacks against Sunderland and Newcastle United this month.

Speaking to Sky Sports (h/t BBC Sport) on the defeat, Hughes hinted that there's only so much a team can do when coming up against a side of this quality:

"

We were frustrated to concede so early on. That's what you want to avoid. But to be honest I think we gave it a real go. We got on the ball, asked questions of them and we gave a good account of ourselves.

We had to commit, the onus was on us to get back in the game. Before their second goal I thought we had them under pressure. All in all we've had a go against the team that many feel will win the league this season.

"

Hughes didn't seem fit to contend against a result in which his team were firmly outclassed, and rightly so. Mourinho, meanwhile, saw this as a signal of what his team are capable of.

An early Christmas gift means the Blues are almost certain to end the calendar year on top of the standings, although Friday's meeting with West Ham still threatens to upset the order.