Mourinho happy with narrow margin

Chelsea FC manager José Mourinho was delighted by his side's first-half performance in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge and felt it paved the way for a deserved 1-0 victory. Rafael Benítez was unhappy with how his team squandered possession before the interval although their display after the break has given him cause to believe the deficit can be turned around at Anfield next Tuesday.

José Mourinho, Chelsea manager
I'm very happy with the performance of the players. When the game starts in Liverpool, Chelsea are 1-0 in the lead which is important. In the first half we could have scored two, three, maybe four goals - we played very, very well. In the second half Liverpool reacted but we were always good on the counterattack. Overall I believe Chelsea deserved the victory. In terms of the 1-0 result, Benítez and his people will think it is a result that will give them a chance of getting to the final - but so do we. They are a strong side at home, they have the historical advantage of success in the Champions League over decades, but we think we have a chance.

Rafael Benítez, Liverpool manager
In the first half I don't think we played well and we were giving the ball away too easily. We couldn't keep the ball and we were giving them the possibility to come forward. In the second half we had a target man, we were better on the counterattack, and created more chances. Playing at Anfield will be really good for us. I think it's possible to stop Chelsea from scoring but it will be difficult, especially the way Didier Drogba plays against defenders. It's a disappointing result tonight but I am confident we can score and beat them next week. You need to win against a good team and a team who like to play on the counterattack.