The back pages today are filled with Champions League post mortems after Chelsea's 2-1 loss to Inter in their last-16 first leg encounter at the San Siro; "Kalouless" and "San Fearo" are a couple of the better tabloid headlines. But the focus is unsurprisingly on a certain Mr Mourinho, with Martin Samuel at the Mail describing Jose as "the master of both Chelsea and Inter".

"He was either going to crazy horse it around the technical area, perhaps with a well-executed knee slide to cap it, or he was going to sit motionless in the dugout. He sat motionless in the dugout. For both goals. It’s his way. A contrarian.

Maybe he also knew, with two minutes 43 seconds on the clock of a two-legged tie, that Inter had just got lucky with their first. And with the second it came soon after Chelsea equalised. Where did the advantage lie? Diego Milito’s strike was accomplished but owed much to Chelsea’s lax defending.

They sat off. He scored. Mourinho would have been as stunned as Carlo Ancelotti. Maybe that explained his inertia. Maybe he also feared what then happened – that it would not be until after Chelsea had peppered the

Inter goal with six shots on target, also striking the woodwork, that his team would be provided with another opportunity, and one that was fluffed by a player who had drawn his anger during the intervening period due to his apparent lack of effort, Samuel Eto’o."

Elsewhere, and Jason Burt at the Telegraph is equally generous in his praise of the "Special One"; he also chooses to examine how both Chelsea and Inter appear to be made in the image of Mourinho.

"The ball hit the net and the Chelsea players, elated, ran past the dugout housing the management and staff of Inter Milan and directly to their coach, Carlo Ancelotti. They should have at least tipped a grateful nod of acknowledgement towards the glowering figure on the touchline, though. So much of the energy in this match was his.

Jose Mourinho emerged victorious but he will know the game is not even half-won, although the absence of Petr Cech, the stricken Chelsea goalkeeper, strengthens Inter Milan’s hand considerably.

A 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in three weeks’ time would still send Chelsea through, thanks to that away goal by Salomon Kalou, but it was a testament to the resolve instilled in both teams by a very special coach that each will feel it is in a position of strength going into the second leg."