'Special One' Mourinho makes low-key, losing return to Chelsea

LONDON :In his glory days, Jose Mourinho celebrated dramatic goals from his teams by sprinting down the touchline, sometimes sliding on his knees for extra euphoric effect.

On Tuesday, back at his former club Chelsea as the new coach of Benfica, Mourinho's most eye-catching intervention was down the touchline again, but this time his run was to urge his team's fans to stop hurling objects onto the pitch.

Benfica under Mourinho, in his fourth game in charge, were defeated 1-0 by an under-strength Chelsea side in the Champions League after a fist-half Richard Rios own goal.

The self-declared "Special One" was lauded by the home fans with a few choruses of "Jose Mou-rin-ho" in recognition of his successes - three Premier League titles and four other trophies - which no other Chelsea manager has come close to matching.

Mourinho, 62, acknowledged the chants with a gentle wave, got a cheer when he ventured onto the pitch to clear a spare ball and quickly vanished down the tunnel at the final whistle after shaking the hand of Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca.

It was all a far cry from the fervour of 20 years ago when Mourinho - having led Porto to an unlikely Champions League triumph - turned Chelsea into English champions for the first time in 50 years in 2005 and won the title again a year later.

After a collapse of form, Mourinho departed in 2007 but he won the Champions League again, this time with Inter Milan in 2010, knocking out the Londoners on the way to the final.

He went on to manage Real Madrid before returning to Chelsea where he claimed a third English title and then had spells at Manchester United, London side Tottenham Hotspur - an unforgivable move for many Chelsea fans at the time - and Roma.

As the big offers dried up,