If boos, jeers and hostile chants eventually penetrate the surreal aura of blithe cheerfulness that envelops Mr Interim, Rafa Benitez, he may soon be singing I Don’t Like Wednesdays in the shower.
 

Last week’s midweek clash saw Chelsea lose 1-0 at home to lowly QPR. This Wednesday it was the turn of Swansea City to visit Stamford Bridge in part one of the League Cup semi-final. The Blues’ 2-0 defeat had the Swans singing hymns and arias all down the M4 on the way home.
 

The next two midweekers see Southampton visit the Bridge in a rearranged Premier League fixture, before the daunting second leg of the League Cup semi in Swansea.
 

Will the woeful Wednesdays continue?
 

Two mistakes by usually dependable defender Branislav Ivanovic sealed Chelsea’s fate this week, allowing Michu and then sub Danny Graham to beat stand-in keeper Ross Turnbull, deputising for the injured Petr Cech, who should be fit again for the home game against Arsenal on January 20.
 

Mortified at his costly concessions of possession in front of goal, Ivanovic was first to scamper to the dressing room at the final whistle.

What explained his lapses?

One intriguing theory is that the defender was distracted by the Serbian Orthodox Christmas, two days before the game.
 

“It shows no one is perfect,” said Swans manager Michael Laudrup. Benitez concurred.

“Any player making mistakes is not a big issue, it’s what they do afterwards that matters.”
 

More baffling was Mr Interim’s upbeat take on Chelsea’s performance. “The control we had of the game is what counts for me,” he said.

“We did a lot of things really well. I’m happy with the way the team was working.”
 

Anarchy is swirling round the Bridge, despite several recent hefty wins. Chairman Bruce Buck was booed during a pre-match presentation, while Benitez had to endure a ‘sacked in the morning’ chant from Chelsea fans.

Where will it all end?