Sunday couldn't have gone better for Jose Mourinho and Sunday couldn't have gone better for Jose Mourinho and
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Chelsea FC vs Tottenham: Mourinho Shows Genius In Final Win

By Lou Flavius

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Sunday couldn’t have gone better for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea FC. Apart from beating bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup final, their Premier League campaign received a bit of a boost from Liverpool’s victory over Manchester City.

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Mourinho came into this Chelsea vs Tottenham tie slightly disadvantaged. Having lost defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic to a cruel suspension, he would need to pick an able replacement for the Serbian enforcer.

With John Obi Mikel — the only like-for-like player in the position — nursing injury, someone else would have to be thrown into the role.

It was quite the surprise seeing the Portuguese boss name three central defenders in his starting lineup. John Terry, Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma all got the nod.

Cahill, who was bossed by Harry Kane in January, during the 5-3 defeat, was not expected to start at the back, as the younger and faster Zouma seemed to cope better when facing speedy forwards.

Everyone was unsure who (between Cahill and Zouma) would fill up Matic’s spot till a few seconds after kickoff. Cahill seemed the likelier candidate, but it was Zouma who stepped forward.

The young Frenchman put in an excellent performance. While he didn’t offer much going forward, he did exactly what he was put there to do. He nullified the Tottenham midfield, keeping Christian Eriksen honest throughout the game, and stifling service to Kane.

Cahill, slotting back into his normal position, hardly put a foot wrong this time around.

Despite Chelsea’s bright start, Spurs looked the more likely to go ahead in the first half. Both teams struggled to break through the others’ back four, but Terry would put the Blues ahead just before the halftime whistle, when a Willian free kick fell kindly to him after being brought down by Zouma.

The second half was quite comfortable for Chelsea, they would kill the game off with a Diego Costa shot, which deflected off Kyle Walker to beat Hugo Lloris. Costa claimed the goal, but it was later ruled as a Walker own goal.

Petr Cech — who was surprisingly chosen over Thibaut Courtois — didn’t have much to do. The Blues would see the game out for a 2-0 scoreline, albeit massive late pressure from Tottenham.

Chelsea have lifted silverware at the first possible moment this season, they will now set their sights on the Premier League title and a Champions League trophy. Is the treble on?

It’s certainly possible. They are still five points above a struggling City side, over which they have a game in hand. They will face a tough test when Paris Saint-Germain come to London next Wednesday, but if they move past that, anything is possible.

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Mourinho has done it again; the two-year drought is over. I can’t recall ever seeing him this happy, and he really deserves to be. This win was all down to his tactical acumen — he worked with what he had, to get the desired result.

Playing Zouma in a defensive midfield role proved a masterstroke. Tottenham’s attack was smothered by collective defensive discipline, Kane was limited to less touches than he is used to, and at the end, the Blues were able to celebrate.

They have enjoyed the moment, but they will know that it should be back to business by Monday. Premier League action is set to resume on Wednesday, and Jose Mourinho will have to lead his victorious squad through a battle vs West Ham at Upton Park.

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