Jose praise for keeper Cech

Jose Mourinho was full of praise for Petr Cech following Chelsea's win over Blackburn.

Much of the post-game talk may have centred on an apparent thawing of relations between Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich, but the Chelsea manager opted to hail the display of his keeper Petr Cech.

Chelsea claimed a 2-1 win over Blackburn to set up an FA Cup final meeting with Manchester United at the new Wembley.

Abramovich's delight in the stands at Old Trafford was there for all to see and he opted to head down to the dressing room to celebrate with the players and his manager.

Mourinho and Abramovich had barely been on speaking terms, but the Portuguese confirmed the pair embraced after the win over Rovers.

He said: "I gave him a hug and he gave me a hug. I told him 'congratulations' and he said ' congratulations' to me."

But it was the performance of Cech which had Mourinho purring.

The keeper made a string of fine saves during the 2-1 win and Mourinho left nobody in any doubt about how highly he rates a keeper who was seriously injured against Reading earlier in the season.

"Petr Cech is more than special," said Mourinho. "He is the best goalkeeper in the world, everybody knows that. But to be the best in the world three months after that incredible surgery is amazing.

"When we saw him at Reading, and then in the hospital, without hair and with a big scar, and then when he was trying all his different helmets on, there were a lot of question marks.

"We didn't know whether he could come back and still be the same.

"To come back and be so good, so quickly is fantastic.

"He is a big example, not just people in football but anyone who has had a major accident or brain surgery.

"Some people are scared about whether they will have a normal life again. What he has done is incredible."