London: Jose Mourinho accepted Chelsea's Premier League faint title hopes had been extinguished by a 0-0 draw against Norwich on Sunday, with the manager frustrated with his misfiring strikers at the end of his first season back in charge.
Neither Demba Ba nor Fernando Torres came close to scoring as Chelsea were left unsuccessfully appealing for penalties in this drab penultimate game of the season.
"Our strikers are good strikers, no doubt about that, but players with some specific qualities," Mourinho said. "They are not the kind of players in five square meters with three or four players around who can get the ball, can dribble around and make the shot.
"So when the team is in a difficult situation they are not able to normally resolve that situation for us."
It likely means Mourinho's first season back at Chelsea will end without a trophy. Chelsea, with one game left, is a point behind Manchester City and Liverpool, who both have two matches remaining and a superior goal difference.
"We tried everything but at the end of the day we knew we had no chance of being champions," Mourinho said. "We knew we needed a point to finish in the group stages of the Champions League (by securing third place). That is no trophy for us, but it was important to finish third."
Chelsea are three points ahead of fourth-placed Arsenal, who also have one game left, but the Blues have a much better goal difference.
A draw at Stamford Bridge would usually be something to celebrate for Norwich - giving Neil Adams his first point in his fourth game as interim manager - but it leaves the club closer to the drop. Norwich need Sunderland to lose to West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday and Swansea on Sunday, when the Canaries must beat Arsenal.
Realistically, the season seems to be over for both Norwich and Chelsea, who still seemed to be affected by Wednesday's Champions League semifinal loss to Atletico Madrid.
"The first half was typical of the consequence of that state of mind," Mourinho said.
Chelsea were fortunate that referee Neil Swarbrick dismissed Norwich's penalty claims after 11 minutes when Martin Olsson was fouled in the area by John Terry. Chelsea didn't make the most of their reprieve, with the hosts unable to trouble goalkeeper John Ruddy, who easily saved Terry's header.
Andre Schurrle did manage to hit the inside of the post but his follow-up was easily collected by Ruddy, and Willian completely miscued a shot just before half time. Defender David Luiz made a quick impact at the start of the second half after replacing Frank Lampard, but the crossbar denied Chelsea this time. Then came Chelsea's penalty claims, with Schuerrle first brought down by Alexander Tettey and Ryan Bennett making slight contact with second-half substitute Eden Hazard.
"Hazard, I saw," Mourinho said. "I saw in the game, but to confirm I had a quick run to my office which is just there, and I arrived in time to watch and then go back to the dug-out laughing ... because I can't cry."
With one of his assistants, Rui Faria, starting a six-game stadium ban for misconduct toward match officials, Mourinho imposed a vow of silence toward Sunday's referee.
"My assistant is in jail and I don't want to comment," Mourinho said.
The Portuguese was happier discussing another unsatisfactory performance from his strikers, summed up by Torres failing to make a clean connection late on after Hazard's shot was parried. For Mourinho, the summer mission is to overhaul his strike force with Atletico striker Diego Costa primed for a move to west London.
"It's a long summer for us ... to sit and to discuss and analyze options, the market," Mourinho said.
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