Job only half-done says Di Matteo

Despite the Blues being victorious in their last Champions League game, their manager feels there is still more to do.

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A 75th-minute goal on the counter-attack from Salomon Kalou gave Chelsea a huge advantage heading into next week's return leg at Stamford Bridge as Di Matteo's risky selection gamble paid handsome dividends.

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After watching Chelsea labour to a 0-0 draw at Tottenham last weekend, Di Matteo took the brave decision to omit Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien from his starting line-up at the Stadium of Light.

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It was the sort of decision that could have gone horribly wrong but instead Di Matteo was left to reflect on Chelsea's best away performance of the season.

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However the interim coach insisted Chelsea would take nothing for granted against a Benfica side who have already helped to eliminate Manchester United from Europe this season.

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"We haven't qualified yet," Di Matteo said. "It's a dangerous assumption to think you've qualified. Away from home Benfica has had some great results but we cannot think that we're through yet.

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"I think we've put ourselves in a good position but it's not a result you can rely on for the home game because it's only one goal.

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"You look at the results that Benfica has achieved in the Champions League and you're not going to sleep very calmly looking at that."

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Nevertheless it was a far cry from the potentially fatal first leg mauling Chelsea had suffered against Napoli in the last 16, when only a miraculous comeback in the second leg saw them overturn a 3-1 deficit.

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"I think we are pleased that we are in a different position going into the second leg next week," Di Matteo said.

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"You know we had a mountain to climb against Napoli. Next week will be a mountain as well -- but it will be a little bit smaller because we had a good result here."

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Chelsea's winning goal involved two players -- Fernando Torres and Kalou -- who had not been expected to start.

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Di Matteo said with Chelsea battling in the Premier League to finish in the top four along with an FA Cup semi-final looming, his selection for Benfica had arisen out of necessity to rotate his resources.

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"You know we've been playing all these games, and they're all at high intensity, and tonight was another one," he said.

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"It was just a question of trying to energise the team, freshen up the team. We knew that Benfica would play at a high tempo and we needed some fresh players who could run and that was the reason for it.

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"We cannot play just with 11 players. We need everybody in this squad. Players that haven't played much in the past are going to play a role in the future. It's just impossible for us to go every three days and reach fitness levels that are needed to win games."

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Di Matteo also said the Portuguese connections of former Benfica duo David Luiz and Ramires, along with Paulo Ferreira and Raul Meireles had been crucial.

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"One of the reasons I selected David Luiz, Meireles, Ramires and Ferreira is because they know Benfica very well, their players and the atmosphere. They've had that experience," he said.

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Benfica coach Jorge Jesus meanwhile said he was confident his side could recover in the second leg.

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"We still have one game to go, it will be played the same if it's 0-0," Jesus said. "We have the conviction that we weren't anything less than Chelsea.u00a0We believe we can go there and win. We didn't deserve to lose tonight."

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"Chelsea had too much experience. It wasn't a just result, but the truth of the match is they won 1-0.u00a0The virtue is that they managed time very well. They were waiting for a chance and when they got their chance they scored."

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