Chelsea sack Jose Mourinho, but where did it all go wrong for last season's champion?

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Jose Mourinho's tumultuous final months at Chelsea have come to a crushing end after he parted company with the club and owner Roman Abramovich amid a haze of controversy.

He leaves just months after winning the Premier League title with Chelsea way behind the top four after a string of defeats.

Here, Sportsmail charts his final months in charge.

Jose Mourinho celebrated winning the Premier League with Chelsea in May

August 8

Drama on the opening day of the season as Mourinho criticised club doctor Eva Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn for going on to the pitch to treat Eden Hazard as Chelsea could only draw 2-2 at home against Swansea.

'I was not happy with my medical staff. Even if you are a kit man, doctor or secretary on the bench you have to understand the game,' Mourinho said.

'You have to know you have one player less and when you go to the pitch to assist a player you have to make sure your player has a serious injury.

'I was sure he hadn't a serious problem. He had a knock, he was very tired. But my medical department - on an impulse - was naive and left me with eight outfield players in a counter attack after a set piece.'

Jose Mourinho blasted Dr Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn (not pictured) for their handling of Eden Hazard

Mourinho was furious after Carneiro and Fearn ran on to treat Hazard and called them 'naive'

Carneiro has since left the Blues and Mourinho was publicly lambasted for his criticism of the medic

August 16 

A stunning 3-0 defeat at Manchester City which Mourinho brushed off as a 'completely fake' result.

'In the first half the best team was winning, in the second half the best team was Chelsea. If the 1-0 result after our second half had been unfair in my opinion, imagine 2-0 or 3-0?

'Everybody knew that 1-0 was a result they wanted to keep and were having trouble keeping. Then second goal, mistake. Third goal, mistake.'

Manchester City celebrate as they humiliated Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the season

Mourinho was left pulling his hair out but described the end result as 'completely fake' 

August 29 

Chelsea were surprisingly outplayed by Crystal Palace in a 2-1 home defeat. Mourinho suffered only his second defeat in his 100th home league game in charge of the club. He threatened star players with the axe in the immediate aftermath.

'If a player is not performing there are two ways to look at it,' he said.

'The first one is that I trust the player so much that I will wait for the improvement. You wait, wait, and wait and maybe it comes or it doesn't come.

'Or, even when you are trusting the player arrives a moment when you think, 'I have to change'. And I can go both ways.'

Mourinho warned senior stars at Stamford Bridge that they could be dropped after defeat by Crystal Palace

Bakary Sako wheels away after scoring the first goal during only Mourinho's second home league defeat

September 12 

Mourinho watched a bad performance at Goodison Park, where Everton were comfortable 3-1 winners, after he stormed out of a pre-match interview with BT Sport when Ray Stubbs asked about their failed pursuit of John Stones.

'Before the game, this is too long. This is too long, I'm sorry,' Mourinho said as he walked off screen.

Jose Mourinho was annoyed at how long a pre-match interview took before the game at Everton

BT Sport's Ray Stubbs covered a variety of topics before turning to the failed bid for John Stones

That irked Mourinho, who complained at the interview's length and stormed off 

September 19

Diego Costa was banned for three games retrospectively after clashing with Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny. The good news for Mourinho was Chelsea won 2-0.

'If you want to speak about Diego Costa with me, it is just to say he played like he has to play. That is why you have full stadiums, you sell to televisions all around the world for millions and millions, because the game has to be played like that.

'That is why on Sunday I go for what I consider comparable in terms of dedication and passion – New Zealand against Argentina. I love it. Fantastic, Diego. Man of the match for me.'

Diego Costa was handed a retrospective three-match ban for his behaviour against Arsenal in September

Regardless, Mourinho lauded the Spain striker as his 'man of the match' despite the controversy 

October 3 

A seven-minute rant on TV in he which Mourinho criticised referee Robert Madley following another humbling at home — this time a 3-1 setback against Southampton. 

The FA fine him £50,000 and handed him a suspended stadium ban. Owner Roman Abramovich was said to be concerned but Mourinho was given a vote of confidence.

CLICK HERE to read the full transcript.

Mourinho launched into a captivating seven-minute rant live on Sky Sports after defeat by Southampton

October 21

Film emerged of the Chelsea manager appearing to shove a teenage boy who was taking a video of him. 

Mourinho (left) is seen walking towards Otto Nahmmacher (right) in the street and allegedly shoved him

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Otto Nahmmacher, 14, claimed the Stamford Bridge boss grabbed his arm and pushed him as he recorded the Portuguese manager on his phone. 

Mourinho can be seen on video walking along a London street, speaking on his own mobile phone.

Mourinho then spots that he is being filmed by the schoolboy, before walking past the child. The picture shakes wildly as Mourinho, 52, apparently shoves Nahmmacher, who loses control of his camera.

October 23 

An angry Mourinho threatened a media blackout following reports of the incident.

'I'm going to treat your bosses the same way they treat me: no respect, no respect. I'm not talking about football. In football I'm ready to be criticised, even the stupid ones.

'Private life, stupid things you bring to light, I don't like it. So we go to a different level of professional relations.'

October 24 

Mourinho was sent off at half-time after Nemanja Matic was red carded in the first half during a 2-1 defeat by West Ham. Assistant first-team coach Silvino Louro was dismissed for haranguing the fourth official in the Matic incident and five other Chelsea players were booked in the game.

Nobody at Chelsea fronted up to the waiting media after the defeat.

Mourinho was sent to the stands for confronting Moss at half-time during the 2-1 defeat at West Ham

Mourinho embarrassingly spent the second half in the directors' box at Upton Park on Saturday

October 27

Eden Hazard missed the critical kick in the penalty shoot-out as Chelsea were sent crashing out of the Capital One Cup.

Diego Costa limped off during the first half on a terrible night for the reigning English champions that saw them eliminated from the competition. 

Mourinho looks glum during his side's Capital One Cup clash against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium

October 31

Another home defeat, as Liverpool, under Jurgen Klopp, piled on the misery. .

Ramires' early header gave Chelsea the lead against Liverpool but a Philippe Coutinho brace and a goal from substitute Christian Benteke condemned the champions to yet another defeat. 

Mourinho reacts during Chelsea's 3-1 home defeat by Liverpool which added yet more pressure

November 2

Mourinho is given a one-match stadium suspension with immediate effect and fined £40,000 after admitting an FA charge of misconduct over his behaviour at West Ham.

November 6

The FA releases its written reasons for Mourinho's ban, saying he called referee Jon Moss 'f****** weak'.

November 7

With Mourinho serving a touchline ban, the result of his outburst at West Ham, Chelsea lose a seventh Premier League game of the season to Stoke, thanks to a Marko Arnautovic volley. 

November 21 

Diego Costa scores the only goal of the game - only his fourth of the season - as Chelsea scrape past a lucky Norwich at Stamford Bridge. 

The Blues had looked closed to turning a corner but for a nervy final 15 minutes of the game. Mourinho claims he'd have to be 'Tom Cruise' to steer Chelsea to the title.  

November 23 

It is announced that Chelsea made a loss of £23.1million in their Premier League-winning season.

November 24

Chelsea's 4-0 Champions League win against Maccabi Tel Aviv is slightly overshadowed by a furious half-time bust-up between Costa and Mourinho. 

Mourinho roared with impatience as Costa failed to convert a chance only for the fiery frontman to bark back at his boss.  

November 29

Costa is dropped to the substitutes' bench for the 0-0 draw at Tottenham and throws his bib in Mourinho's direction when it becomes apparent he would not feature.

Costa later claimed the incident was a mistake, he said: 'The bib [incident] is in the past. I made a mistake but my relationship with Mourinho is amazing, we get on really well.

'There are things you need to control, but the bib thing was an impulse.'

Chelsea frontman Diego Costa jogs out to warm-up during his side's 0-0 draw against Tottenham

Costa theatrically throws his bib in the direction of Mourinho after ending his warm-up at White Hart Lane

The bib sails behind Mourinho's right shoulder but the Chelsea boss seemed oblivious as it flew to the ground

December 5

Blues go down 1-0 at home to Eddie Howe's Bournemouth. Substitute Glenn Murray was on the pitch for one minute 39 seconds before netting 82nd-minute winner.

After the game Mourinho said his side should focus on making the top six rather than the top four, he said: 'Our objective is to fight for top four, but maybe now we have to think of finishing top six. I was concerned before this game as I was not happy with the position, and so you can imagine now (how I feel) with this defeat at home.' 

December 14

Chelsea beaten 2-1 at Leicester, putting the Foxes back top of the Premier League and leaving Mourinho's men one point above the relegation zone after nine defeats from 16 matches - Chelsea's worst start to a season since 1978, when they went on to be relegated. 

Mourinho says after the game that his work was 'betrayed' by his players. He admits all top-four hopes are 'gone' and says he needs pride from his players.

Jose Mourinho cuts a frustrated figure after his side suffer another defeat in the Premier League