Chelsea vs. Sporting: Jose Mourinho and Marco Silva Post-Match Reaction

Jose Mourinho was content with his team’s performance after goals from Cesc Fabregas, Andre Schurrle and John Obi Mikel saw Chelsea take a deserved 3-1 victory over Sporting.    

It was heartbreak for Marco Silva’s visiting team, however, as a win for Schalke 04 over NK Maribor means that they will drop into the Europa League. With the score poised at 2-0 to the home side, Jonathan Silva gave Sporting hope just after half-time, but it wasn’t enough to stir a famous comeback for the Lisbon club.

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The Chelsea boss, who drafted in a host of fringe players for the game, was pleased with the application of his troops: 

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Jose Mourinho says it was a good performance with a good attitude. #CFC

— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) December 10, 2014"

Mourinho singled out Schurrle—who has been linked with a potential move away from the club recently, per Kristian Downer of Metro—for special praise, after he notched a vital goal. The Chelsea boss went on to insist the German international is very much in his plans and explained the circumstances surrounding the player, per Sky Sports (h/t Gill Clark of Goal.com):

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He's in my plans when he's in top form. We had a problem when he went to the national team the last time, he came back very very ill, he was in trouble for quite a long time and then I had to give him time to recover, but he came on and did well against Newcastle and before he also played a few minutes, and now today he had 75 minutes to play and to improve his form.

He needs to adapt better to the Premier League but he is also a player with bull on his boots. He is a player that if he has three shots he normally scores one goal and that is an important quality.

"

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The Blues had already sealed their spot in the last 16 ahead of this clash with Sporting and will now face one of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Basel or Bayer Leverkusen in the first knockout round.

There's a long way to go yet, but Chelsea have been touted as potential winners of the competition, and it's easy to see why when you look at the squad depth that was on show here. But Mourinho was quick to insist that there are still a host of classy teams that stand between Chelsea and their second European Cup win:

The Blues boss also took time out after the game to express his sadness that his old club and vanquished opponents didn't make it to the next round, per Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star:

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I feel sorry for them [ Sporting Lisbon]. 

I would've loved for them to have qualified because Schalke doesn't get a result. But Schalke did a result.

But we did our a job were professionals we cannot make friends in football.

"

Naturally distraught, Sporting's manager Silva chose not to lament Schalke's win in Slovenia. Instead, he focused on his own team's poor first-half display.

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The Portuguese side were left reeling as Chelsea stormed into a 2-0 lead after just 15 minutes and the boss thinks that's what ultimately cost them the game, per LeoesLions:

It's also worth noting that the visitors were without on-loan Manchester United winger Nani—who has been in sparkling form recently—for this one, but Silva claimed his absence was no excuse for the loss either, per LeoesLions:

Chelsea flexed their muscles with this performance. They showcased their staggering strength in depth, an ability to take the sting out of a game when required and—perhaps most encouragingly—a blisteringly quick start that took the match away from their opponent before they were even allowed to settle.

Sporting have come up just short here, but it's always dangerous leaving yourself needing a positive result from Stamford Bridge in order to secure qualification to the next round. Silva has built a young, vibrant team, however, and this whole experience is something they will undoubtedly learn from in European competitions to come.