The brief reign of Chelsea's André Villas-Boas - in pictures

André Villas-Boas's first Premier League match in charge of Chelsea was a trip to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke City on August 14. It was an inauspicious beginning - a 0-0 draw with few chances to speak of. Fernando Torres was preferred in the starting line-up to Didier Drogba; a signal that the old Chelsea guard were no longer assured of their places Photograph: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

The following match, Chelsea came from behind to beat West Brom and notch their first win of the season. Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda scored the second-half goals which earned Chelsea victory Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Frank Lampard was another victim of Villas-Boas's regime. The former midfield stalwart was frequently a bench-warmer in domestic and European matches. But with Chelsea winning four of their first five games in all competitions - including this match against Bayer Leverkusen (2-0) - it was difficult to criticise the coach's policy Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Tom Jenkins

Fernando Torres scored his first goal of the season against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 18 September. But an astonishing miss in the later stages made him a laughing stock Photograph: Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

Chelsea ultimately lost the match 3-1. It was their first defeat of the season Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

After thumping Genk 5-0 in the Champions League, Chelsea's season began to nose-dive. A run of five defeats and two draws in nine games saw them drift out of contention in the Premier League title race and exit the Carling Cup. It also jeopardised their chances of reaching the knock-out stages of the Champions League. Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

A 5-3 defeat to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge was one of the most painful results. In a game which swung both ways, Chelsea twice threw away the lead before conceding two late goals to Robin Van Perise Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

From his peculiar squatted vantage point on the touchline, Villas-Boas masterminded a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in December - it was City's first Premier League defeat of the season Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Such an uplifting result was quickly forgotten, though, as Jordi Gomez scored a late equaliser for Wigan to hold Chelsea to a draw in their very next match. Daniel Sturridge, one of the few players shining under AVB, had scored the opening goal of the match. Chelsea endured two further draws and a defeat in December, mounting pressure on the manager Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Chelsea's staggering form continued - four wins and two draws in January were undone by on one win from five in February. Midway through the month, Villas-Boas recieved a training ground visit from the club's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich. The pair were all smiles. But rumours were growing that many of the senior players were unhappy Photograph: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

A 3-1 defeat at Napoli in the first-leg of the knockout stages was another significant blow for Chelsea, who had led through Juan Mata's first-half strike. The return leg is still to come (on Wednesday 14 March) Photograph: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

Villas-Boas cut an increasingly desperate and isolated figure on the sidelines in recent weeks. His protestations that he did not need the support of the players were bizarre. This 3-0 win against Bolton included goals from two players back from exile - Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action Images

Roman Abramovich's patience with AVB's long-term rebuilding project ran out after Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday 3 March. Gareth McAuley grabbed the killer goal Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

Though it took a further 24 hours for the guillotine to fall, there were few who were surprisd to hear the news of Villas-Boas's departure. His right-hand-man (or in this case, left-hand-man) Roberto Di Matteo will take temporary charge of the team Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images