The Blues claimed just four points from their opening five Premier League games prior to this weekend's 2-0 win over Arsenal.
According to The Express, club owner Roman Abramovich was thinking about dismissing the Portuguese manager if they had suffered defeat in their opening Champions League tie.
Chelsea ended up securing a comprehensive 4-0 win over the Israeli side.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| C | Manchester CityMan City | 38 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 96 | 34 | 62 | 91 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 91 | 29 | 62 | 89 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 38 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 86 | 41 | 45 | 82 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 76 | 61 | 15 | 68 |
| 5 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 74 | 61 | 13 | 66 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 77 | 63 | 14 | 63 |
| 7 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 85 | 62 | 23 | 60 |
| 8 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 57 | 58 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 60 | 74 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 57 | 58 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 55 | 62 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 | Bournemouth | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 54 | 67 | -13 | 48 |
| 13 | Fulham | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 55 | 61 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 50 | 65 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 | Everton | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 40 | 51 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 | Brentford | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 56 | 65 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 49 | 67 | -18 | 32 |
| R | Luton TownLuton | 38 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 52 | 85 | -33 | 26 |
| R | Burnley | 38 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 41 | 78 | -37 | 24 |
| R | Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd | 38 | 3 | 7 | 28 | 35 | 104 | -69 | 16 |
| > Premier League Full Table | |||||||||
