Speaking at his customary pre-match press conference to preview our first Premier League fixture for 10 days, the manager looked back at one London derby and forward to another. He also fielded questions about John Terry’s contract situation, the significance of momentum in the title race and his starting line-up for tomorrow’s trip east.

Firstly, the journalists wanted to know what the mood in the camp was in the wake of the weekend Capital One Cup triumph.

‘We are just happy,’ said Mourinho. ‘Everybody likes to win competitions. I feel the players are very happy but a normal happiness, no more than that.

‘I enjoyed everything on Sunday. I enjoyed Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, John Terry - guys with cups and cups and cups – enjoying it because I see a little bit of myself in that image. You are never tired of winning things.

‘I enjoyed the guys that won with Chelsea for the first time or almost for the first time – Hazard, Willian, Oscar, these people.

‘And I enjoyed a lot the kids that I know are going to have lots of this in front of them. I enjoyed the [happiness of the] fans, my family, and the families of the players. I enjoyed it as much as the first time.’

Mourinho explained his and his team’s post-match celebrations were limited to the pitch and the dressing room, though he was able to enjoy a quiet glass of champagne with his wife when he returned home. He said the players have two days off after the West Ham game if ‘they want to do something people at their age like to do’.

The manager was asked what impact a trophy win might have on the rest of the season, particularly as it came on the same day Manchester City lost at Liverpool in the league.

‘I really don’t know,’ was his response. ‘I don’t think a defeat in the final would have created some negativity that would affect us in the Premier League and Champions League.

‘In the same way, I don’t think this victory brings us to paradise and everything is now beautiful for us. We have a big, difficult game tomorrow, and we have a big, difficult game next week in the Champions League.

‘We have five points advantage which in this league is not a lot because every game is very difficult. Leagues are competitions where not just your results count. The results of your direct opponents are also important. You can have a fantastic season and not be champions because somebody else was better than you.

‘When your direct opponent loses points it’s good for you, in the same way when we lose points it’s good for them. This is part of the Premier League. We lost two points against Burnley, we didn’t panic. You have to keep your emotional balance and keep going.

‘In every circumstance maths plays a role. We now have 12 matches left - six at home and six away – that’s 36 points to play for.’

The first of our remaining away games is across London at Upton Park. Mourinho is expecting a tough test.

‘West Ham are a good team,’ he noted. ‘They can be everything: defensively very strong, very dangerous in attack, very dangerous playing direct football with long balls to target men, and also very dangerous attacking spaces and trying to play on the counter-attack with fast people like [Diafra] Sakho and [Enner] Valencia.

‘They have in their hands different ways of playing football and thinking about the game. With a very good coach like Sam it’s always difficult to play them.’