Jose Mourinho vowed that Chelsea's strength of character would see them return next season for another crack at reaching the Champions League final.

The Chelsea manager brushed aside questions about his future after seeing his side lose last night's semi-final 4-1 against Liverpool in a penalty shoot-out after Daniel Agger had cancelled out Joe Cole's goal from the first leg.

Liverpool now go through to the May 23rd final in Athens against Manchester United or AC Milan, while Mourinho and his squad must regroup after a third Champions League semi-final defeat in four seasons.

Mourinho though insisted the Blues would return unbowed.

He  said: "What more speculation, what now? I thought we had cleared this all up. We will keep going. There is always a next chance, next season is another season. I feel we deserve to be in a final, three times now in four seasons we get this close, we deserve a final.

"We are strong characters, but we have had such a difficult season ahead of this situation because of our injuries, and that is because of our character.

"Next season the group will be little different to the group we have now. Our intention is to keep a big percentage of these players, maybe two or three changes which is normal in a club like us."

As for the end of another dream, and with the league title almost conceded, Mourinho insisted that four trophies was always a long shot.

He said: "The quadruple is a difficult thing to go for. At the beginning of the season we do not think of that, we think of each game and trying to win each time."

Mourinho accepted the defeat at Anfield was a severe body blow, saying: "As far as my management career goes, that was the most heartbreaking night.

"To lose a Champions League semi-final on penalties is hard to take.  I do not think we were bothered by the atmosphere, it was a great atmosphere with their fans supporting their team.

"It did not affect us, we were the team in blue always trying to win. They had a short period in the first half in control, but after that I felt it was always Chelsea in control and trying to win the game.

"For 90 minutes, extra-time, we always tried to win. Free-kicks, we had every strong player into the box, we showed we wanted to win the game so we had no problems with the atmosphere.

"I felt Chelsea could always win. Penalties, penalties, some people say they are luck, some that their 'keeper has an appetite for them or that some players do not take them well.

"They scored four, us one. That was the story of the game and they were stronger in that part of the game and are in the final."

He added: "But in five, 10, 20 years, nobody will remember that Chelsea were the better team in the first leg of the semi-final and I feel deserved to win the second.

"Nobody will remember that Chelsea were the best team in extra-time. That is the history of football.