Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has praised his players as well as his opponents after their Capital One Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Mourinho hailed his team for being able to adapt to his new game plan, due to the suspension of Nemanja Matic, with defender Kurt Zouma being deployed in midfield.

And the tactical set-up worked brilliantly, with club captain John Terry scoring at the end of the first half before summer signing Diego Costa sealed the victory as his shot deflected by Kyle Walker into the back of the net.

“My players strategically were fantastic,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.

“I have a certain concept about the final and obviously we cannot win every final but finals are not to play they are to win.

“We had a team not everyone was expecting but we had a team with a great balance, very compact in midfield, we pressed them very well.

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“We didn’t have problems, they had a couple of chances. The free-kick (with which Christian Eriksen hit the bar) and nothing else, we controlled the game really well.

“We knew we would be dangerous on the counter, I was expecting more, but I think we played like we should play a final."

However, the Portuguese boss also reserved some commendation for Spurs and their manager Mauricio Pochettino, despite the Lilywhites failing to make much of an impact after the first half.

“Tottenham and Mauricio are fantastic,” Mourinho added. “He is building a great team, they gave us a very difficult match and I feel sorry for them.

"He is doing a fantastic work and having a great evolution in his career. I feel sorry for him but I know he is a proud man with the work he is doing and the team he got to the final."

The Blues will now attempt to win their other two competitions, with Mourinho's men five points ahead of champions Manchester City in the Premier League, and tied 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain heading into the second leg of the Champions League round-of-sixteen at Stamford Bridge.

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