Mourinho makes merry

SOCCER/Chelsea - 1 Everton - 0: It is safe to assume that Chelsea's players did not pop open champagne to celebrate this victory but Jose Mourinho would scarcely have been unhappy if they had. The manager is apparently judging his team's development not just by how they perform on the pitch but how they react afterwards.

Whereas many managers might prefer their squad to be humble in victory to ensure no one gets carried away, Mourinho encourages revelry. He wants his players to appreciate that every win is precious in their quest for trophies. He was delighted with what he discovered following this success.

"It was like a cup final in the dressing room and that's what I want to see," he said. "I don't want them just happy when they have beaten Manchester United and not so happy when they beat Everton. If you want to be champions, every game is a final. That happiness is what I want. The players are definitely getting this mentality and taking it into every match."

The former Porto coach presumably believes that an addiction to the high of victory makes players regard defeat as all the more unpalatable. He talks of wanting to establish a winning culture at Chelsea and senses that the confidence and determination of his squad are increasing. This was their sixth successive win and it lifted them to the top of the Premiership.

"They get over all the walls that the opponent puts in front of them," Mourinho said. "That is a fantastic mentality to see in your players. It's something I have seen growing in them step by step since the start of the season.

"I now look at the players and can see that they believe we can do it. At the same time they also understand that victories don't come from the moon. They come out of our hearts, out of our legs, out of our brains. The players are ready to do everything to get the results we need."

That seemed to be a reference to Chelsea's ability to adapt to circumstances. Here they needed to be patient to break down a tough Everton side. At CSKA Moscow last Tuesday the emphasis was more on counter-attack and then containment. In the previous match at West Brom they eventually overcame weaker opponents 4-1. Unlike Arsenal at the moment, they are finding whatever mix is required to win.

The outcome on Saturday might have been different had Tim Cahill and Alan Stubbs taken clear headed chances at 0-0 but Chelsea have momentum and much of that stems from the return to fitness of Arjen Robben, who followed his decisive goal in Moscow with another here.

On an afternoon when Everton made life hard by pulling players behind the ball, working ferociously and denying their opponents the chance to break quickly, Robben always looked Mourinho's most likely match-winner.

He did not find it easy to get the better of the impressive Everton right-back Tony Hibbert but was by no means restricted to that flank. Many of his best moments came through the middle or from the right. On the few occasions when Chelsea went close, he tended to provide the shot or cross.

Mourinho's squad is not flush with central midfielders capable of changing a game with one pass and at the moment Eidur Gudjohnsen does not often occupy the deep positions from which he can create chances because he is the central striker in a 4-3-3. That requires him to play high up the field, often with his back to goal.

Chelsea's winner came when Gudjohnsen was operating as a second striker following Mateja Kezman's introduction, his pass enabling Robben to sprint clear and beat Nigel Martyn. But that is not the norm and responsibility falls on Robben and Damien Duff, who was more subdued.

Mourinho is excited by the thought of having Didier Drogba alongside them this month. "That's the period I'm waiting for," he said.

He could never take victory for granted. Everton had chances on the break as Chelsea looked shaky defending crosses and the Londoners' patient passing never looked likely to prise open an Everton side in which Thomas Gravesen and Cahill did well.

Everton have a game plan and attitude that mean it should not be assumed they will tumble down the table, particularly with money to spend in January.

Mourinho distanced himself from suggestions that he will buy then and seemed keener to cajole the crowd into making more noise at Stamford Bridge. "Please do at home what you do away and support the team together," he requested. Perhaps they also need to treat every game as a cup final.