Jose Mourinho has admitted winning a second time at Man City in a fortnight was always going to be a tall order because of the high standards set first time around.

Chelsea were a pale shadow of their Premier League persona in Saturday's FA Cup tie and barely mustered a shot in bowing out 2-0.

The Blues boss prepared his team thoroughly for the first meeting, but he always knew that matching the intensity of that display was going to be hard.

“It's always difficult to play two matches in a row against the same team when this situation happens,” Mourinho said. “It's very very difficult to do it for both.

“You come in the top of your game, the top of your concentration, in the top of your intensity.

Sunderland v Chelsea - Capital One Cup Quarter Final
Can't look: It's all too much for Jose Mourinho

“You win the game, but the winner [finds it] difficult to be back when he reached the top and the loser has time to assimilate the defeat and to create a certain spirit – I don't say of revenge, but a certain spirit of 'this time we have to do it.'

“It's difficult to win the second consecutive game and easier for the other team to react. They had that reaction and we couldn't be at our maximum level.”

Mourinho added: “We could speak about them not playing in midweek. Maybe it's a factor. We could speak about John Terry not playing, we could speak about the referee's team. We could speak about lots of things. But let's be pragmatic and simple. The best team won and deserved to win.”