Chelsea have sacked manager Jose Mourinho just seven months after winning the Premier League title.
The 52-year-old’s position had come under intense scrutiny following the Blues’ nine defeats in 16 league games this season.
Chelsea were beaten at home by newly-promoted Bournemouth earlier this month and on Monday suffered 2-1 defeat to Leicester City, which proved to be Mourinho’s final match in charge.
The club have yet to comment on who will lead the team for this weekend’s game with Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.
But a statement said: “Both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways.
“The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea.
“His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back.”
Mourinho is the most successful manager in Chelsea’s history, having won eight trophies during his two spells at Stamford Bridge.
He first arrived in 2004, to great fanfare, and led the Blues to successive Premier League titles, as well as the FA Cup, two League Cups and the Community Shield before his shock departure in September 2007.
In more than 15 years as a manager, Mourinho has taken charge of 765 matches and won 22 trophies.
• Benfica (Sept 2000-Dec 2000): 11 games
• Uniao de Leiria (Jul 2001-Jan 2002): 20 games
• Porto (Jan 2002-Jun 2004): 127 games, six trophies
• Chelsea (Jun 2004-Sept 2007): 185 games, six trophies
• Inter Milan (Jun 2008-May 2010): 108 games, five trophies
• Real Madrid (May 2010-Jun 2013): 178 games, three trophies
• Chelsea (Jun 2013-Dec 2015): 136 games, two trophies
Mourinho returned to football in the summer of 2008, leading Inter Milan to two Italian titles and the Champions League – a trophy he also won with Porto in 2004 – and went on to manage Real Madrid, winning La Liga in 2012.
But he often said his heart lay with Chelsea and he signed four-year contract upon his return in June 2013, which was extended through to 2019 on the eve of this season.
Mourinho was unable to wrest the title out of the hands of Manchester City in his first campaign back at Chelsea, describing his team as a “little horse” in a thoroughbred race.
He sold fans’ favourite Juan Mata to Manchester United and saw his incredible 78-match unbeaten league run at Stamford Bridge ended by Sunderland.
Last season, though, following the signings of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, Mourinho’s Chelsea ended up winning the Premier League with three games to spare.
They were embarrassed in the FA Cup by Bradford City but beat Tottenham in the League Cup final – however, Paris St-Germain ended their interest in the Champions League.
The Blues were tipped to retain their title but a relative lack of summer transfer activity – and an early-season row which led to the departure of doctor Eva Caneiro and physio Jon Fearn – precipitated chaos on and off the pitch.
Stamford Bridge was no longer a fortress – Crystal Palace, Southampton, Liverpool and Bournemouth have all won there this season – and even in victory, many of Chelsea’s performances were less than inspiring.
Blues owner Roman Abramovich acted following a meeting of the board on Tuesday to discuss the club’s poor season and has now ended Mourinho’s tenure for a second time.
This post was last modified on 17/12/2015