After watching a display that many would rate as our best of the season, Luiz Felipe Scolari was understandably in good spirits.

First-half strikes from Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka sealed the win against in-form visitors Aston Villa, but were both later withdrawn with injuries, though the Brazilian insists they are not too serious.

The Blues' passing and movement was for the majority of the game a joy to behold, as forwards linked with midfielders and full-backs alike, while defensively we were tight and organised, allowing Villa just one shot on target.

'I am satisfied because we played very well and for me it's the most important game in the season because if we win we are in first position in the league and we have now a minimum of ten days to recuperate our players,' Scolari said.

'Afterwards when we start the league after 10 or 15 days we are all in good condition,' he said, optimistically.

'This is most important for us and we can continue from first position in the league, still top in the Champions League and in the next round of the Carling Cup. What more could I want? Nothing.'

Martin O' Neill, the Aston Villa manager, was equally impressed by the home side's performance.

'I thought Chelsea were brilliant today, absolutely brilliant and we would have had to have had our best players playing at the top of their game to compete today, never mind anything else,' he said.

'It was a harsh lesson. I felt they were absolutely terrific, but we didn't help ourselves. This morning I really felt we would win the game, so I'm a bit daft, but we had been playing well and came into the game with plenty of confidence. We could have learned a lot today.'

With regard to the knocks received by Cole and Anelka, Scolari had a bright outlook.

Speaking first on his England winger, he said: 'It's a little problem I think, in the foot, and after two or three days with the national team he will have the condition to play.'

On Anelka, Scolari was less convinced, but believes the forward could feature for France over the next fortnight.

'Nicolas Anelka, I don't know if he will play in the national team for sure or not because he feels a little pain in his leg and maybe for the first game it is difficult to play, but I think he has the possibility to play a minimum of one game,' he said.

John Terry also received treatment on the pitch, apparently for the back injury picked up in Cluj, which had prevented him from training in the run up to the game.

'John Terry I think is the same [as Cole], two or three days rest with the national team doctors and he will play because he's a fantastic man.

'If he feels something he wants to play, two or three days not training I think he will play again.'

Finally, both managers had praise for Frank Lampard, who was at the centre of almost everything Chelsea produced.

Scolari described the midfielder's performance as 'very, very well. Two times not one!', while O' Neill, in more conventional English tongue chose 'absolutely outstanding' as his superlative.