Sign up to the Independent's betting newsletter for the latest tips and offers Sign up to the Independent's betting newsletter
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has said that one member of his staff broke the rules of discussing the Manchester City result before the Capital One Cup final.
City's 2-1 defeat away to Liverpool was coming to a close as Chelsea's team bus arrived at Wembley and Mourinho had managed to keep the result quiet until Silvino Louro, an assistant first-team coach, broke the news.
"I knew that was an impossible mission [to hide the result from his players], but I didn't want the television on in the hotel or on the bus," he said.
"I told them I didn't want any kind of manifestation or disappointment if City scored in the last minute, or Liverpool won. I wanted complete silence.
Show all 24 1 /24Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Petr Cech Trusted ahead of Thibaut Courtois, Cech played precisely as expected: with calm assurance, making a few comfortable saves during Spurs’ spell on top. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Branislav Ivanovic Did all the dirty work required of him, throwing himself in front of shots and opponents as Chelsea saw off Spurs’ early pressure. 7
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Kurt Zouma Drafted into midfield by Jose Mourinho, he did not influence the game much with the ball but stuck attentively to Christian Eriksen, restricting Spurs’ attacking options. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings John Terry Had to defend well in the first half but it was his power at the opposite end which set up the 13th trophy of his time at Chelsea. 7
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Cesar Azpiliqueta Occasionally left isolated by Eden Hazard’s attacking, especially in the first half, but he coped with Andros Townsend and Kyle Walker with all his characteristic solidity. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Ramires His energy and effort in midfield helped to restrict Eriksen and Chadli’s opportunities, ensuring Chelsea did not get overrun as they did back on New Year’s Day. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Gary Cahill Back alongside Terry at centre-back, he coped impressively with the threat of Harry Kane and then saw out the win in the second half. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Cesc Fabregas Only produced a few decisive moments in possession – but did nearly beat Hugo Lloris with an overhead kick early in the second half – but it was enough. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Willian He ran hard up and down the right flank, pinning back Danny Rose even if he did not delvier a decisive moment in attack. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Diego Costa Spent almost an hour running and scrapping before he settled the game, winning space and beating Hugo Lloris – via a deflection - from a tight angle. 7
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Eden Hazard Chelsea’s only player to produce any real quality in a poor first half but kept teasing Spurs at 2-0 and nearly scored a brilliant third. 7
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Best of the Bench: Juan Cuadrado Ensured that Chelsea’s energy levels did not drop in the final minutes, shuttling up and down the wing after replacing Willian. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Hugo Lloris His selection ahead of Michel Vorm was ultimately irrelevant, as he was powerless to keep out either goal, deflected away from him at close range. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Kyle Walker Looked nervous every time Eden Hazard ran at him, and lacked the confidence to produce any quality in attack. Deflected the second goal past Hugo Lloris. 4
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Eric Dier This was a difficult afternoon up against Diego Costa and while he deflected the first goal past Hugo Lloris, he coped better than some centre-backs have this season. 5
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Jan Vertonghen Rarely uncomfortable despite the stage and the opposition. Will be disappointed not to have influenced the game more in either penalty area. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Danny Rose Defended solidly enough against Willian and Ivanovic but he could not deliver the quality with his crosses that Spurs needed. 5
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Nabil Bentaleb Hard to believe that he is a 20-year-old rookie, after another midfield performance of impressive maturity and authority. Probably Tottenham’s best player. 7
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Ryan Mason Provided important impetus to Spurs’ play, running from box to box, but his clumsy passing and shooting was symptomatic of their lack of quality in the final third. 6
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Nacer Chadli He was crucial to the 5-3 win two months ago but today he did not have the same sharpness or the burst of pace, rarely threatening Chelsea. 5
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Christian Eriksen After hitting the bar with an early free-kick, Eriksen slightly faded in this game, struggling to find much space or to pick the right passes. 5
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Andros Townsend Preferred to Erik Lamela and while he delivered a few bursts of pace down the line, he could not provide the crucial moments of quality that Spurs needed. 5
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Harry Kane This was not another edition of Kane’s comic-book story. He was largely frustrated by Chelsea’s first-half defending and could not drag Spurs back into the game. 5
GETTY IMAGES
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0 - Capital One Cup final player ratings Best of the Bench: Mousa Dembele Added some presence to midfield but could not create the chances that Spurs needed to turn the game. 5
GETTY IMAGES
"We were successful on that. But one member of my staff jumped up in the bus, Silvino. I wanted to kill the guy. He broke the rule."
Despite City's defeat, and the fact that Chelsea are five points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand, Mourinho refused to believe that his side are champions in waiting.
"It's in the hands of everyone," he said.
"We have lots of difficult matches to play. City have difficult matches. [Manchester] United are third, right? Nine points [behind]? They are in the title race too. Liverpool, I predicted that."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies