Jose Mourinho confirmed his reputation as a poor loser tonight – by stating that "The Best Team Lost". Interviewed immediately after he saw his expensive side humbled by Liverpool the pain he was suffering was plain to see. All of his bravado about how it wouldn’t matter if they lost had disappeared.
The Chelsea manager found his luck had finally run out. That’s all that’s separated the two sides in their five meetings this season. Mourinho said, "The best team lost and we are very sad we did but at the same time we must understand what football is."
He continued, speaking to ITV1: "This game was a copy of the game in Cardiff where one team scored a goal in the beginning of the game. In Cardiff it was a wonderful goal. In this, no-one knows if it’s a goal – not even the linesman. "
He admitted he’d lost the tactical battle, but didn’t like the tactics: "Tactics is with Rafa. He is responsible for them and they are happy they reached the final. I don’t want to criticise them but they played the way they wanted, they fought a lot. I have to give them credit for that. We are disappointed but at the same time I am very proud of my players. And from my heart I hope Liverpool win."
Whether his last words really were from the heart or not we’ll never know. Chelsea’s defeat tonight ended their dreams of a treble.