Liverpool won 2-1 and, for the second year running, a manager whose big decisions often seem touched by genius was criticised for contributing to his team's downfall in a competition he would love to win. On that occasion, Mourinho inexplicably played Paulo Ferreira as a wide midfield player, leaving Joe Cole in the dug-out for an hour as Liverpool ran up a two-goal lead. The previous season he recklessly brought on three substitutes at half-time in the fifth round away to Newcastle, whereupon Wayne Bridge broke his ankle, Carlo Cudicini was sent off and Chelsea went out. So for all his achievements, the twin peaks of FA Cup and Champions League remain to be climbed.

Blackburn Rovers are barring the path to the first and, superficially, ought not be too formidable a barrier. This is a team, after all, that Chelsea have beaten in six of their seven meetings under Mourinho - three of them this season - the only exception being at the end of last season when the title had already been secured. Yet Chelsea's manager is a shrewd enough psychologist to recognise where the danger lies: "The biggest threat is the dream. In that group of players are not many who've won trophies. Their motivation will be very very high. It's the game of their life, the game of the season for them and motivation sometimes makes miracles."

Given Blackburn's form, the more pessimistic of their fans will think a miracle is what they need. Others might prefer a return to the rough-house stuff that disfigured their previous appearance at this level, a deserved 3-0 defeat by Arsenal two years ago. But Mourinho believes they have evolved beyond that: "To be fair, we played them this season three times and had no problems. Difficult matches, fighting matches and aggressive of course but very correct. Mark [Hughes] played many semis and FA Cup finals and knows the respect you must have. I think it's a disgrace for a player to get a red card in an FA Cup semi-final or final at Wembley and Mark knows the responsibility we have for the English game and for the FA Cup. So I want to believe that both semi-finals and the final are great for English football."

Like so many foreigners, he has huge respect for the FA Cup, marvelling at how clubs like Scunthorpe and Macclesfield have attracted huge crowds to Stamford Bridge and insisting that Chelsea have always given it high priority amid the conflicting demands on them.

"We've been very, very serious about the FA Cup from the beginning. We showed against Tottenham in two great matches we deserve to succeed in this competition.

We want to be in the final very, very much. It's normally not easy after a hard [European] match but I don't think we'll lose our motivation, concentration, commitment and desire. Their legs can be fresher than ours but not their hearts or brains."

FA CUP SEMI-FINAL CHELSEA v BLACKBURN ROVERS Tomorrow, Old Trafford, 4.00 Live, Sky Sports 1, 3.30