This result was everything to do with the managers – or the chairmen who hire and fire them. Because José Mourinho would not have lost this game and Martin Jol would not have won it.

Mourinho would not have tried to accommodate in the way that Avram Grant, his replacement, did. Deploying three up front, Chelsea should have played Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka, not both. Out on the left wing, Anelka was hardly in the game; he shouldn’t have been in the lineup. Joe Cole - in brilliant form - plays left wing for England, but not for his club in a cup final because Grant wanted to keep one of his strikers happy.

Michael Ballack, Chelsea’s best-performing player in recent weeks, was left out. Meanwhile, Michael Essien, usually a midfield driving force, hardly got a kick. Chelsea were outplayed almost from start to finish. Mourinho would have adapted quickly, but only in the last ten minutes of extra time did Grant throw caution to the wind. Chelsea have no midweek game so yesterday’s team should have been their best XI. Are you telling me that doesn’t include Joe Cole and Ballack?

Tottenham Hotspur had a tough Uefa Cup tie last Thursday yet they were full of running. That’s the Juande Ramos effect. The players are so much fitter than under Jol, much hungrier - for wins, not food. Jonathan Woodgate and Alan Hutton are great additions. It was obvious to all that Tottenham’s defence needed work and Ramos took action. Would Jol have been as decisive or ruthless? Very unlikely.

Top managers get the big calls right and here Ramos outdid Grant. Taking Pascal Chimbonda off and putting Aaron Lennon down the left was a masterstroke and leaving Ledley King out last Thursday to keep him fresh for Wembley worked as well.

Spurs fans have reason to feel excited. There’s much more to come from this squad. The board’s belief that Jol wasn’t the man to get the team into the Champions League looks spot-on. They’re not in the top four as they had hoped in preseason, but under Ramos they look like a top-four side. Tottenham are blessed with strikers who can make a difference. Who knows, maybe this success could convince Dimitar Berbatov to stay next term.

This outcome sows some seeds of doubt at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea fans will ask: can Grant win titles? He will get close with such a good squad - but can he go all the way? That was never a question with Mourinho because he was a winner.

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