Tuesday, 9.40pm José Mourinho spends two minutes in the dressing-room after the 1-1 draw with Rosenborg. He has an equally brief exchange with Roman Abramovich in the players’ lounge.

Wednesday, 2.30pm Mourinho is called to a meeting at Stamford Bridge with Abramovich, Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, and Eugene Tenenbaum, the director, to discuss Chelsea’s stuttering start to the season and a feeling that differences between manager and owner had become irreconcilable. Tenenbaum is understood to have articulated Abramovich’s frustrations over results, the team’s playing style and Mourinho’s public outbursts, with the Portuguese sarcastically responding by asking which manager in the world could do a better job. At the end of the meeting Mourinho’s departure is seen as inevitable, although nothing is resolved.

6.30pm Mourinho boards the team bus at Stamford Bridge with the bulk of his first-team squad for a trip to the screening of Blue Revolution, a film about Chelsea’s past three years. The Portuguese makes the unusual gesture of shaking all those players present by the hand.

6.45pm Mourinho meets Abramovich at the Vue cinema at Fulham Broadway, shaking his hand and greeting him with the words: “Hello, boss.”

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Background

• Blue is colour, total chaos the game

• No special side to Grant

• Shoot-out at the Bridge goes to Abramovich

• Grant's job under threat from lack of Uefa licence

Background

• Ferguson keeps Chelsea under pressure

• California dreamin’ in bid to lure Mourinho

• Machiavellian manager will not remain on shelf

• Chelsea could become Southern Rock

Background

• Ferguson upset by 'relieved' Mourinho's exit

• What did Roman’s magician ever do for us ...?

• How Jose made the game more beautiful

Multimedia

• Who needs Mourinho - TheGame online

• Fanzine Fanzone

• Jose Mourinho video highlights

Multimedia

• Pictures: Chelsea, the Mourinho years

7pm As the film starts, Mourinho sends text messages to John Terry, Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho telling them he is leaving the club with immediate effect. None is at the cinema.

8.40pm Abramovich, Kenyon and Mourinho return to Stamford Bridge to continue their discussions and Mourinho leaves within an hour.

9.30pm Mourinho returns home and phones Frank Lampard to explain his reasons for leaving. He is believed to have said that he had been effectively dismissed.

10.45pm As news of Mourinho’s departure spreads, Bruce Buck, the chairman, and other directors and aides are called to an emergency board meeting at Stamford Bridge.

11pm Mourinho belatedly informs Jorge Mendes, his agent, who had been at the Champions League match between Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United.

Thursday, 1.45am Chelsea release a statement claiming that Mourinho has left the club by “mutual consent”.

3.30am The board meeting breaks up after deciding to appoint Avram Grant manager.

8.40am Mourinho arrives at the club’s Cobham training ground to say goodbye to the players.

11.30am Grant and Steve Clarke take charge of training under the watchful eye of Abramovich.

4.15pm Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge with Mendes to finalise his payoff.