Chelsea are desperate to forget Bradford result with Liverpool win... this is our only shot at Wembley, admits Jose Mourinho

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The agony etched on Jose Mourinho’s face on Saturday said it all. He gets it. He knows what it means to play a big final at Wembley.

He’s done it before — only once, mind you — beating Manchester United in the first FA Cup final at the revamped Wembley back in 2007. So the shock loss to Bradford City really hurt.

It wasn’t just the humiliation of losing, at home, to a team two levels below Chelsea. It was the thought of depriving the club and the supporters of a day out at the home of English football.

Jose Mourinho has only managed Chelsea in one big final at Wembley, a 1-0 win against Manchester United

Blues were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One side Bradford after a 4-2 defeat on Saturday

The visiting players at Stamford Bridge celebrate after securing an historic victory

That may seem far-fetched given the path travelled by the Special One. Champions League finals, a UEFA Cup final, the San Siro, the Bernabeu — Mourinho knows his way around elite European football.

But there’s something intoxicating about Wembley, and he knows it. He’s Portuguese, but with the heart and mindset of an English football fan. 

So when Chelsea take to the Stamford Bridge pitch on Tuesday night for their finely balanced Capital One Cup semi-final against Liverpool, he knows what’s at stake.

‘This is our only chance to go to Wembley so it is important,’ said Mourinho. ‘To go there should mean a lot to everyone. We need to forget the FA Cup and think of the next one in a different competition — we are one victory from the final.’

Shaking off the embarrassment of losing to Bradford is likely to be an issue if the Blues are to get there. Mourinho will demand a reaction. And, to be fair, his side tend to deliver.

Chelsea won both matches following their two other defeats this season, against Newcastle and Tottenham. 

On Tuesday, however, it will have a different dynamic. Under pressure, against an improving Liverpool side, Mourinho’s side need to build on the 1-1 draw from the first leg.

‘The result against Bradford doesn’t make the Liverpool game bigger, it is a semi-final,’ said Mourinho. A person like myself and a club like Chelsea always respect the cups, respect the meaning of the English cups. Reactions separate teams. There is nothing we can do about the FA Cup now. 

Mourinho insists that hi players are fully focused on bouncing back against Liverpool on Tuesday night

Nemanja Matic takes the ball past fellow midfielder Cesc Fabregas in a training session at Cobham

Filipe Morais of Bradford celebrates after scoring his team's second goal on Saturday

‘It stays in our history as a negative point for every one of us. Right now, we have a lot to play for. We have the Liverpool game and after that we have the Premier League and Champions League. We have enough motivation to carry on.’

Captain John Terry added: ‘The fans will want to see a reaction. It was very quiet in the dressing room, not much was said. Having a kick up the backside can do you good.

‘I would certainly hope that what happened against Bradford is a one-off. We can’t dwell on it. The games are coming thick and fast and there are too many big games at this stage of the season. 

John Terry: 'The fans will want to see a reaction. It was very quiet in the dressing room, not much was said'

Eden Hazard and Cesar Azipilicueta compete in training on Monday

Mourinho will be helped by the expected returns of Terry, Nemanja Matic, Diego Costa and Branislav Ivanovic, who were rested on Saturday, while Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas — who was on the bench — should also be in the starting XI.

Fabregas’s return should ensure extra fluency in Chelsea’s central midfield but there was a time when playing for Mourinho or Chelsea was a prospect the former Arsenal captain wouldn’t even entertain.

‘Three years ago I wouldn’t have imagined working under Mourinho,’ said Fabregas. ‘But life has many turns, and more so in football. We had a big rivalry with Mourinho but I never hated him. Chelsea was the team I wanted to beat the most. I also had a lot of spats with John Terry but in the end, we are people. I’m not driven by hate.’

Cesc Fabregas has admitted that he wouldn't have imagined working under Mourinho three years ago