Jose said "Frank was feeling bad during the day and the doctor was with him. He wanted to try to play in the warm-up but it was completely impossible to do it."

"It was a big test from the mental point of view to play without Frank because we play all those games with him and ten minutes before you realise he is not playing."

"The answer of the team was magnificent," enthused Mourinho.

"Eidur Gudjohnsen individually played a very good game in the Lampard role. We had players like Gérémi who is a great example. He doesn’t play a lot but when he plays he is unbelievable for the team."

"These are the matches you know one point is a result. It is important for the players not to panic, keep control of the game and don’t make defensive mistakes. If we don’t score a goal, a point in these circumstances would be a positive point but I think we deserved the win because defensively the team was amazing, the answer in midfield without Lampard was fantastic and we always looked like we could score."

"There were not many chances but now and again we threatened. So when we scored with ten minutes to go, it is time to control the game and go home with three points."

Stuart Pearce was more philosophical. He said, "It was a tactical game of chess with few chances," he said, ruing the late winner. "If Joey [Barton] had taken his chance early on it might have been different. Chelsea took their chance when it fell to them."

"Tactically we maybe got it right throughout the team," he decided after seeing his side restrict Chelsea’s openings for most of the game. "When you put as much into your job and don’t get anything from it is disappointing. I can’t fault a single one of my players from a team ethic point of view."

In a veiled dig at Chelsea's critics and opposing fans alike, Jose finished off by saying, "We are very strong and have more points than at this stage last season. Around the world you can’t see many teams fighting like my team did tonight. You don’t see big stars fighting like this. This is not the power of the money, this is the power of the group. This is the power of a group of friends working together."

40 YEARS A BLUE!