John Terry and Diego Costa scored to give Jose Mourinho his first trophy of his second-coming as the Blues beat Tottenham 2-0 in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday. Just as the first half was meandering to a close, John Terry’s deflected close-range effort found its way past Hugo Lloris and gave Chelsea the lead and dampened Spurs’ morale just as they went into the interval.
Another deflected effort, this time by Diego Costa gave his side a 2-0 lead. Although Spurs continued to dominate possession and pressed forward in search of a goal, Chelsea’s defense stood firm and held on to give Mourinho his 21 career trophy in the pouring rain at Wembley.
Here are the major talking points.
Will this be the first of many?
For all the talk of the attractive football Chelsea have played this season, the Blues were yet to win a trophy since Mourinho took over for the second time. At times this season, they have looked surprisingly vulnerable at the back and too open, which is something that Mourinho’s sides aren’t generally known for. But Sunday’s win over Spurs now means that the Capital One Cup is Mourinho’s first trophy during both his first and second spell with the club.
Although this side is completely different from the side he left when he went to take the Real Madrid job, it is one that is firmly capable of turning into a well-oiled trophy collecting machine. Even without their best midfielder in Nemanja Matic, playing in a new formation, the Blues looked well in control for much of the game, as they inflicted a measure of revenge over Spurs for their 5-3 defeat early in the year. Well poised to go through in the Champions League and five points clear with a game in hand in the league, this might not be the only trophy that the side claim this season.