Chelsea might just have the means for a quadruple tilt

José Mourinho dismissed the question following last week’s Capital One Cup defeat of Derby County but his opposite number believes Chelsea may quietly fancy their chances of a clean sweep.

“Nobody else has done it yet but they’ve got the potential to do it,” said Mark Hughes of a team claiming the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup in a single season. “The talk of winning every trophy, maybe in-house they believe that themselves. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did.”

This victory was sealed by Cesc Fàbregas’s second-half finish and came after Chelsea had weathered a mini Stoke City storm, the latest illustration of the London club’s robustness. The coach may not state it publicly but the squad he has assembled appears the strongest in recent seasons to give the quest for all four trophies a mighty good go.

Hughes will be all too familiar with Stoke’s failings

To score fewer than you concede – especially at home – is not a platform for solidity so when Stoke went 1-0 behind after 95 seconds to make it 11 shipped against the nine registered here, Hughes must have cursed.

The goal difference of minus-three before the match suggested where Stoke’s inconsistent form has come from although having beaten Arsenal 3-2 in their previous home outing, Hughes could say: “The way we performed in the first half – in which we established a 3-0 lead – was arguably as good as I’ve seen us play.

“We’ve done really well – we had an exceptional first 60-70 minutes against Arsenal and we need to replicate that because Chelsea are the more accomplished side in most people’s opinions at the moment. But we play well against the top sides and I expect that again.”

John Terry’s first league goal for a year quickly made this last comment seem a folly though Stoke did then hold their own for passages.

Mourinho shows no concern for hectic Christmas schedule

Chelsea are next in action on Friday when hosting West Ham United before the trip to Southampton two days later and the visit to Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day.

Yet the manager suggested he had scant concern over stamina as the XI fielded was about as strong as he could put out, Mourinho signalling he was taking a Stoke team seriously that, in last season’s corresponding fixture, defeated Chelsea 3-2.

John Terry, Eden Hazard, Fàbregas, Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa were all present as Mourinho surely also considered the serious title challenge from a resurgent Manchester City: decide to rest some of his key players due to the cluttered itinerary and the chance of a slip-up would increase and might then be pounced upon by Manuel Pellegrini’s team, who had already hauled back a nine-point deficit from 29 November – before this game-in-hand for Chelsea.

Shawcross did not do his England cause much good

In the buildup the 27-year-old said of his England prospects: “I don’t look at the squads any more because I presume that I am nowhere near it and I’m not going to get in. It has been difficult to accept that I haven’t had another opportunity in the squad since then [2012]. I feel I have played my best football under the manager here and still been nowhere near being included.”

As a clear message to Roy Hodgson to recall him this was not Shawcross’s best display as Diego Costa tormented him at times. He played the No9 onside from one Eden Hazard pass and so was fortunate not see Stoke go 2-0 behind. The captain then got in a tangle when Cesc Fàbregas pinged the ball at Costa, allowing the striker to race at Asmir Begovic’s goal. Although this time he redeemed himself by recovering to make a smart dispossessing tackle, Shawcross later appeared to escape giving away a penalty when challenging Fàbregas in the area.

Bardsley was lucky to stay on the pitch after early tackle

Moments after the travelling fans sang “Where’s your famous atmosphere?”, the Britannia Stadium erupted. After 19 minutes, Phil Bardsley cleaned Eden Hazard out as he raced along the left.

The Belgian’s interest in the contest might have ended with him leaving on a stretcher as the No10 crumpled on the turf in pain and his team-mates and Mourinho went ballistic. So, too, did Hughes, who was met by the Portuguese repeating a hand gesture that mimicked a mouth in reference to the Welshman’s incessant chat to the assistant referee.

When a level of calmness returned, Bardsley was shown only a yellow card by the referee, Neil Swarbrick, which allowed the right-back to continue although a suspicion remained he may suffer retribution if opportunity knocked. Of the hostility that awaited his side, Mourinho said pre-match: “The atmosphere does not score goals. I like to play in big atmospheres. But if it is hostile then it is beautiful for the game.” The tackle on his star winger had been anything but.