With the 3-0 loss, Chelsea and the Gaffer have now matched the club’s worst records -- Mourinho suffered his joint-heaviest defeat as a Premier League manager, while, for the first time in 17 years, the Blues have failed to record a win in either of their opening league games

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho described his team's 3-0 Premier League defeat at Manchester City on Sunday as a "fake" result.

But the reality, however much it hurts, is that Chelsea could hardly have made a more unconvincing start to the defence of their crown, on or off the pitch.

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A Community Shield defeat by Arsenal was shrugged off as irrelevant, but something looked seriously amiss a week later in a fortunate 2-2 draw at home to Swansea City in which keeper Thibaut Courtois was red-carded.

That poor display was overshadowed by Mourinho's removal of club doctor Eva Carneiro from bench duty after describing her as "naive" for tending to Eden Hazard -- leaving Chelsea temporarily reduced to nine men.

Worse was to follow on Sunday, though, as Mourinho suffered his joint-heaviest defeat as a Premier League manager.

A listless display at City's Etihad Stadium, particularly in the first half, allowed Chelsea's main title rivals to steal a march and move five points clear.

The only good news on Sunday was the signing of left back Abdul Rahman Baba from Bundesliga club Augsburg -- a welcome recruit after a summer in which Chelsea failed to significantly upgrade last year's model.

So dominant last season when cruising to the title, Chelsea have looked under-cooked so far.

Not since 1998 have they failed to win either of their opening league games and while a five-point deficit on City with 108 more points to play for is no crisis -- a return to form cannot come soon enough.

Yet Mourinho was having none of it after goals from Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho sent City top.

"3-0 is completely fake," Mourinho told reporters.

Speaking to Chelsea's TV channel later, he added: "In the second half we controlled every aspect of the game.

"Then one corner, one mistake and 2-0. The best team in the first half won and the best team in the second half lost."