Champions League Semi-finals Talk: Inspired Chelsea Left Jose Mourinho With High Hopes

Chelsea’s manager, Jose Mourinho call over his side's "special spirit" after a sensational late goal by Demba Ba which pushed them into the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Paris Saint-Germain.

Regardless of trimming PSG's 3-1 aggregate lead through Andre Schuerrle, Chelsea were taking off of the competition until Ba bundled home in the 87th minute of Tuesday's quarter-final second leg at Stamford Bridge to send his club through on away goals.

The London club's return conveyed echoes of their 2012 victory over Napoli, when they conquered a 3-1 first-leg misfortune in the last 16 with a 4-1 win before going on to decimate Bayern Munich on penalties in the final.

While Jose Mourinho has frequently proclaimed that his team are a work in progress – and depicted the triumph over PSG as "nothing extraordinary" – he said the conviction that his players had indicated foreshadowed well for the last four.

“We’re in the semi-finals and if the quarter-finals had eight fantastic teams, imagine the four that are going to reach the semi-finals,” Mourinho said.

“Anything can happen. A big opponent is waiting for us in the semi-finals, but I think it doesn’t matter who.

They know that we are the team with special spirit, even if we are not at the maximum of our potential.”

Mourinho was asked if he would like to face former club Real Madrid in the last four, he replied: “No. It doesn’t matter. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico (Madrid), Bayern Munich, Manchester (United), it doesn’t matter.”

Mourinho often whines about the absence of top-level goal-scorers in his squad and he hailed Ba's vital involvement after opting to send him on rather than Fernando Torres in the 66th minute.

“He’s a good guy, a good professional, a good group man. I’m very happy for him,” said Chelsea’s manager.

“The fact I played him before Nando made him feel that he doesn’t have the number three striker on his back and his enthusiasm was fantastic,” Mourinho continues.

“He started to give problems to Paris that normally they don’t have in their league because normally there’s a different style of approach,” the Portuguese added.

Ba Told ITV regarding hi goal that: “It all happened so quick.

I saw the ball and it was in the goal. I just do what I have to do when I get chances.

I didn’t have chances this season, but tonight I took it.”

Mourinho commended Ba's goal by leaping down the touchline towards his players, however he said that his dash was simply persuaded by a longing to give some strategic instructions.

Mourinho said, “It was not to celebrate. It was to tell the players how we have to play the last minutes.”

“In that moment they want to celebrate, to think the game is over, and they forget that you still have three plus three or four minutes (of stoppage time) to play.”

The only dark imprints for Chelsea were a booking for Branislav Ivanovic that precludes him of the first leg of their semi-final and a calf injury to Eden Hazard which Mourinho announced it could keep him out for two weeks.

For PSG it was the second consecutive quarter-final thrashing on away goals, after last season's elimination at the hands of Barcelona.

They were left to regret a series of missed chances when the score was still 1-0, outstandingly an exertion that Edinson Cavani put over the crossbar, and coach Laurent Blanc said that his side couldn't utilize the supposed inferiority of Ligue 1 as an alibi.

“We can’t hide behind that,” he said. “You guys (journalists) often denigrate Ligue 1 compared to the Champions League, but we can’t always use that as an excuse.

We can’t change it. Ligue 1 is what it is.”