Did Jose Mourinho break the rules? Photos show device on Chelsea bench that could have been used for communication with Blues boss

Jose Mourinho appeared to defy Football Association rules by communicating with Chelsea assistants Steve Holland and Rui Faria during their seventh Premier League defeat of the season.

Chelsea lost 1-0 to Stoke City in Mourinho’s absence at the Britannia Stadium and the manager watched the televised match from a nearby hotel.

The FA acknowledged it would be almost impossible to prevent Mourinho from being in contact with his backroom staff and it appears he was able to relay information during the loss.

A photo of the Chelsea bench shows a device 

which could have been used to contact Jose Mourinho

Steve Holland (right), alongside Rui Faria (centre) 

and Silvino Louro sit on the bench at Stoke's stadium

Photographs showed devices on the Chelsea bench that could be used to contact Mourinho, who insisted at his midweek press conference that he would not break the rules.

The defeat against Stoke left Mourinho clinging to his job with the club now fifth bottom.

Manchester City could move 17 points ahead with a win against bottom club Aston Villa on Sunday and the pressure was piled on Mourinho with Chelsea’s title defence currently the worst in Barclays Premier League history.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has seen his patience severely tested by the most popular and successful manager in the club’s history with the current run of poor form.

A clip from during the game shows Holland (right) 

and Faria speaking behind a clipboard on the touchline

The FA acknowledged it would be almost impossible to 

stop Mourinho from contacting staff

The last time Chelsea lost seven of their opening 12 matches in the top division was in 1978-79 when they were relegated.

Despite not being at the Britannia, Chelsea’s travelling support chanted Mourinho’s name before, during and after the defeat. Other fans also donned masks of the Blues boss.

Chelsea assistant manager Steve Holland stepped in for Mourinho, whose ban was due to him calling referee Jon Moss ‘f****** weak’ during a recent half-time confrontation at West Ham. 

Asked about Mourinho's position, goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who did speak to TV reporters, told the BBC: 'That is out of our hands, we are behind the manager - you can see that from our performances. We think he is the right man and someone we work hard for. 

Chelsea fans at the Britannia Stadium donned Mourinho 

masks in the absence of their boss

Mourinho also made an appearance in the form of a

 life-size cardboard cut-out, held aloft by a Chelsea fan

'His spirit and his presence is always there, we wanted to get a result for him.'

One the matter of the stadium ban, Begovic said: 'Jose did the pre-match talk at the hotel and that was it.'

Begovic, Stoke's former No 1, felt the Blues were unlucky at his old club.

He said: 'We definitely did enough to get a result here, but when things aren't going your way you don't get the luck you deserve.

'We hit the post, we slipped over when we had open goals, we are making things hard for ourselves.'