Jose Mourinho Leads Chelsea To First Final Since Returning
By Lou Flavius
Jose Mourinho is back in the hunt for trophies. The Chelsea manager watched on as his team blew Wembley’s gates wide with a 1-0 victory against Liverpool at Stamford bridge.
It took them a nerve-wrecking 120 minutes to do so, but they are finally on the brink of winning their first bit of silverware since the Portuguese returned.
This Capital One Cup semifinal was a cracker of a match, with both teams attacking and leaving the two goalkeepers with plenty of work to do. As predicted, there was a sour edge to the proceedings, and as you may have guessed, Chelsea striker Diego Costa was in the thick of things as usual.
Costa got into scuffles with Emre Can, Martin Skrtle and surprisingly, Steven Gerrard. The forward was also denied a penalty after he was clearly brought down in the box by Skrtle.
Kurt Zouma — who started in place of Gary Cahill — played the perfect game. He was able to keep up with Raheem Sterling’s pace, and dealt with any threat coming his way. We shouldn’t be surprised if he permanently replaces Cahill in the starting lineup, as Mourinho clearly trusts him enough to play him in big games.
Eden Hazard was at his usual best, while Willian gave a proper account of himself. The Brazilian winger provided great defensive cover for his fullback, and effectively dealt with many of Liverpool’s counter attacks. It was his free kick which found Branislav Ivanovic in the box to put Chelsea ahead with a towering header.
The Blues also have Thibaut Courtois to thank, the Belgian keeper made numerous saves to keep his team in the game.
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Mourinho will be immensely pleased with his team’s effort, after being kicked out of the FA Cup by Bradford, this was the perfect response. Now, with only Tottenham or Sheffield standing in their way, the Blues could have an early taste of glory this season, which could spur them on to win their first ever treble.
The League Cup was Mourinho’s first trophy when he took the reins at Stamford Bridge in 2004, so it must be dear to his heart. After lifting the cup twice, he knows the feeling all two well, but no two victories are the same, so he will be putting his best foot forward in the finals.
The manager was full of praise for his team, but even more so the fans, claiming that this one was for them.
"“Chelsea supporters were fantastic today, the victory is for them. Last weekend’s defeat was ours, not the supporters.”-Jose MourinhoSource: Chelsea FC Official Website"
It wasn’t all good news for Chelsea though, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis picked up injuries and are doubtful to face Manchester City on Saturday.
"“Branislav could finish the game, Fabregas and Filipe couldn’t. Filipe was a calf problem, Fabregas was his hamstring. Everybody’s happy, the group deserves it and we are happy to go to the final.”"
If the Blues show the same attitude when they host City, they should be able to take the three points; but for now, they should let this wonderful victory sink in.