Maccabi Tel Aviv 0 Chelsea 3

A second successive win in a campaign littered with unexpected setbacks would normally leave a team buoyed and enthused, but this is Chelsea. José Mourinho's side departed Haifa joint top of Group G and with rare momentum in the group, but with their captain, John Terry, having sustained ankle damage before Sunday's trip to Tottenham Hotspur and with the manager embroiled in an ugly argument with Diego Costa on the stroke of half-time.

The striker’s lack of movement infuriated the Portuguese, Costa’s instincts dulled perhaps by a lack of confidence. There is tension in that relationship, even if Mourinho has no like for like replacement to offer the Spain international some respite. Regardless a first away win in Europe for a year, completed by Kurt Zouma’s goal in stoppage time, has offered the team some promise. Maccabi Tel Aviv were sub-standard opponents but they were still overwhelmed.

Mourinho had gone to great lengths in the build-up to suggest this contest would prove far tighter than his side’s thrashing of the Israelis in London in the group’s opening round of fixtures.

The manager need only have pointed to the standard of the playing surface to make his case. One goalmouth was bare, the other already cut up long before kick-off, with clumps of turf freed up on the flanks from the opening exchanges. The Portuguese actually walked on to the pitch while his players celebrated an opening goal long on the cards to stamp in some of the divots. Plenty of the visitors’ more elaborate approach play simply ran aground on the stodge, though their quality still comfortably eclipsed that offered by Maccabi.

This might have been awkward had the unmarked Dor Peretz, a youngster who has attracted English scouts to Tel Aviv in recent times, not headed Tal Ben Chaim’s cross over the bar after 112 seconds. Yet, with that scare behind them, Chelsea enjoyed a monopoly of possession thereafter with their cause helped further by Tal Ben Haim’s rush of blood just before the break.

The former Chelsea centre half had been riled early by Costa, the striker complaining after they had wrestled in the penalty area, with his frustration boiling over just inside Maccabi's half. Ben Haim had two swings with his boot before finally making contact, then raising his hands to his face in horror as it dawned on him what he had done. The Spanish referee was swift in brandishing the inevitable red card.

Chelsea's lead stood at a single goal by then, Gary Cahill having headed down Willian's corner with Predrag Rajkovic doing well to scoop the ball on to the post. The England defender reacted quickest to poke in the rebound, though his team should have capitalised more on that lead.

Half-chances were spurned in what time remained before the interval, most notably when Eden Hazard scurried on to Cesc Fàbregas's clipped pass to lob the ball into the centre where Costa had not anticipated the pass. Mourinho was livid on the sidelines, screaming disapproval at the forward who returned in kind. Costa waved away both Oscar's and Terry's attempts to calm him down as he pursued his manager down the tunnel.

The Brazil-born forward, such a source of frustration too often this season, did at least re-emerge after half-time though Chelsea looked rather distracted, as if their concentration had wavered in the wake of the spat. They were slack upon the restart, the hosts' right back, Eli Dasa, finding himself free at the far post from Gal Alberman's delivery and forcing Asmir Begovic into a smart save. Peretz, too, might have done better as he ambled on to Eran Zahavi's free-kick with Begovic summoning a magnificent save just after the hour mark after the striker had burst down-field, eking space from Terry, and spat a shot goalwards.

There was agitation on the Chelsea bench, a failure to impose their dominance threatening to undermine them every time Maccabi carved out a counter-attack.

Mourinho, a dissatisfied figure on the sidelines with memories flooding back of a similarly profligate performance at Maribor last season, cursed as Rajkovic pushed away Hazard’s volley, then blocked César Azpilicueta’s shot from Baba Rahman’s fizzed centre. The manager and his players craved a second goal to ease the tension. The sight of Terry being carried off the pitch on a stretcher did little to improve their mood, but while the captain was still being heaved down the tunnel, Willian curled a free-kick into the corner to ease the nerves.

Rajkovic was helpless there and duly exposed again moments later as Oscar met Rahman's cross to plant in a third. Zouma's free header completed what ended as a rout to reflect better Chelsea's dominance. Sunday at White Hart Lane will prove far trickier than this.

(Guardian service)