Jose Mourinho rounded on his critics and Steven Gerrard after Chelsea's first home win of a season which has had a miserable opening.
The Barclays Premier League champions began their Champions League Group G campaign with a 4-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Willian, Oscar, Diego Costa – his first for Chelsea in the Champions League - and Cesc Fabregas.
"I forgot the feeling. For so long we don't win a game, so good, a good feeling. I am a fantastic manager when I win matches and I am a fantastic manager when I lose matches," Mourinho said.
The Chelsea boss received the acclaim of the home faithful and, while he prefers it when they support the players and team, he welcomed the adulation.
"I prefer that than they say 'Mourinho out' and they boo me and so on," he said. "It shows they don't read papers or they don't have short memories. If they don't read papers they support me. If they don't have short memories, they support me. We won four Premier Leagues, three with him and one with his team. This guy is not bad. Let's support the guy. We have a chance to win the fifth."
Mourinho also dismissed former Liverpool captain Gerrard's suggestion that there must have been a rift with skipper John Terry - one of six changes from the loss at Everton and an unused substitute against the Israeli side.
"Steven is wrong," the Blues boss said. "I have a very good relationship with him. Sometimes we contact by SMS (text message). But he's wrong, because we have no problems."
Speaking during his work as a BT Sport pundit, the former Liverpool captain had said: "There's certainly a bit of friction behind the scenes because for me, you play John Terry week in, week out, he's your captain.
"He's such an important figure in the dressing room and if Chelsea want to be successful this season, they need him in there. Chelsea were champions three months ago, they were the best team in the league, the PFA player of the year in Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas was on fire.
"Something's clearly happening behind the scene that we're not clued up on. You can't have that many problems in an 11 so quickly."
Despite all Chelsea's domestic troubles, they were the only English team to begin the Champions League with a win after Arsenal joined Manchester United and City in making a losing start.
"It's bad news for English football," the Portuguese said. "I'm not happy with that. I want Man City, Man United and Arsenal to lose in the Premier League - not in the Champions League."
The Gunners visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the Premier League and Mourinho will be happier to prepare after a win.
"For all of us to wake up (on Thursday) after a defeat, to go to Cobham again, to train again after a defeat, two days before a derby against Arsenal, I could imagine how difficult it would be for everyone," he added.
Willian picked up a hamstring injury and joins Pedro in missing the Arsenal game, while Radamel Falcao missed the Maccabi contest injured and Oscar may also be absent after recently returning from a knee problem. Mourinho praised Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was among those to come into the starting XI and might have had a penalty towards the end of the first half before Oscar converted from the spot.
"He's potentially a very good player, but we have to feed these young players and choose the right moment," Mourinho added.
Chelsea had already missed from the spot by then as Eden Hazard blazed a sixth-minute penalty over the bar. Mourinho praised the response of his side and says Hazard can continue taking spot-kicks if he wishes – as it is unlikely his side will be awarded one in the Premier League.
"It's up to him. If he wants, yes. If he doesn't, no," Mourinho said. "How many times we have a penalty in the Premier League? I don't think it's a problem, to be fair. You start a game that you have to win and after five minutes you miss a penalty, it's a great test of the character of the team."
Maccabi Tel Aviv boss Slavisa Jokanovic was not too downbeat with his side's loss.
"Welcome to Champions League. This is a different level," the former Chelsea midfielder and ex-Watford boss said. "We've been waiting 11 years to arrive here. First game we play away against one of the most important teams in the world. They dominated us, they deserved to win the game. We must learn, we must be more solid. I expect in the next five games we can show better face."
