MX23RW : Monday, March 17 23:08:20| >> :120:8099:8099:

Juan Mata hails David de Gea's save

Mata hails De Gea's save
© PA Photos
Juan Mata hails David de Gea for the save that prevented him from sending Chelsea through to the FA Cup semi-finals.

Chelsea attacker Juan Mata has praised his fellow Spaniard David de Gea after the Manchester United goalkeeper pulled off a late save to deny him a goal during yesterday's 2-2 draw in the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.

The Blues had battled back from a two-goal deficit against the league leaders and would have advanced through to the semi-finals had De Gea not stuck out his foot to turn away Mata's curling effort from close range.

"That touch from De Gea's foot. I could almost see the ball inside the goal, but David stopped it. What a save! Soon afterwards the match finished, leaving us with a bittersweet feeling," Mata wrote on his blog page.

"Our performance was commendable after trailing 2-0, but at the same time we were so close to winning the match. From a spectator's point of view I think it was a great football game. On the pitch, I can say it was very intense and, especially in the second half, I really enjoyed it."

As a result, the two teams will now meet again at Stamford Bridge, with the victor to face Manchester City in the last four.

ID:73677: cacheID:73677:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1810:
Written by
Liam Apicella
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Ramires is congratulated by team mates Oscar and Juan Mata after scoring the equaliser against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter final on March 10, 2013
Read Next:
Chelsea fightback earns Man Utd replay
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal291610353242958
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest29166749351454
4Chelsea29147853371649
5Manchester CityMan City29146955401548
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29121164842647
8Fulham2912984338545
9Aston Villa2912984145-445
10Bournemouth29128948361244
11Brentford29125125045541
12Crystal Palace2810993633339
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd29107123740-337
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs291041555431234
15Everton2971393236-434
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2997133349-1634
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2975174058-1826
18Ipswich TownIpswich2938182862-3417
19Leicester CityLeicester2945202565-4017
20Southampton2923242170-499


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!