Roberto Di Matteo hailed his side's team spirit after pulling off a stirring comeback victory over Manchester United in the League Cup, and with it gaining a measure of revenge for the acrimonious loss in Sunday's English Premier League game.
Chelsea came back three times from going a goal down to win 5-4 in another remarkable match in extra time, with David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard, Daniel Sturridge and Ramires scoring for the Blues.
While, Chelsea came back from two goals down in the Premier League game against United to make it 2-2, the comeback could not be completed after the Blues received two red cards, with United taking advantage of their numerical superiority to score the winner.
Di Mattwo, however, was pleased to see a positive outcome after Wednesday's match. "I am very pleased with the players tonight, who performed on the big stage and will play a big part in our season," Di Matteo said. "I think we showed on Sunday already that we have big characters in the dressing room and we had to show it again tonight.
"We showed big, big heart and passion and pride and didn't want to lose this game. It was a very exciting game of football to watch, a typical Cup game, quite open at times and a lot of mistakes from both teams, because there were a lot of young players involved in this game.
"Over the last two days we have seen some exciting thrilling football games typical of cup competition and a lot of future stars in these games. That's what we should promote, and not the other stuff.
"We will have to assess the team over the next few days. Playing extra time has taken more out of us than we would have liked but on the other hand spirit is sky high and when the mood is positive you feel the fatigue a little bit less.
"We had a few suspensions tonight so people will be back for Saturday and we will see which players are freshest and most energised for Saturday."
Chelsea will now take on Leeds United in the quarterfinals, and Di Matteo is looking forward to the tie, knowing the many special games that have been played between the two clubs in the past.
"It's always difficult to go and play away from home," Di Matteo added. "Leeds and Chelsea have a bit of history so it will be an interesting game for us at Leeds.
"He (Leeds manager Neil Warnock) has got his style of football and has to be respected. We will have plenty of time to think about that game."
