by Amar Azam at Stamford Bridge

WITH any hopes of retaining their Premier League title fading fast, Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea players need to arrest their slide or they face complete humiliation.

Old enemy Liverpool emerged the victors from their trip to Stamford Bridge in a pulsating encounter that saw the visitors come back from a goal down to take all three points from the uninspired Blues.

New Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was overjoyed with his first league victory.

His counterpart remains under intense pressure, but as yet appears to want to stand firm.

Chelsea did little to merit a win following another poor display, leaving Mourinho to field questions about his future at the club in an uncomfortable press conference. It was the sixth league defeat for last season’s champions and he was not in the mood to give too much away, initially refusing to answer any questions.

He did open up eventually however.

“The fans aren’t stupid,” said the Chelsea boss.

“They know how much myself and the players are trying. As professionals, the players are not getting the respect they deserve.”

When pushed on whether he would be staying at the club, he insisted that he was not ready to walk away.

The match began well when Chelsea took the lead with a powerful header from Ramires in the third minute. For a few moments, there was much optimism around Stamford Bridge as fans finally sensed a positive outcome.

However, Liverpool dominated much of the first half and moments before the interval Phillipe Coutinho put his side back in the match with a fine curling shot beyond goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

The game’s flashpoint took place on 67 minutes when Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva should have been dismissed for a second bookable offrence for a foul on Ramires. Mourinho was furious, but referee Mark Clattenburg was unmoved.

On 74 minutes, Coutinho, the best performer on the day, put his side further ahead with a shot that appeared to deflect off Chelsea’s talismanic John Terry.

Substitute Christian Benteke sealed the win late on with a low shot. It left the new Liverpool boss pleased.

“You have to fight for it, and that’s what we did,” said Klopp. “We have to think about the next game, about improving our game and our style.”