spurnut
Well-Known Member
- Jul 16, 2006
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Avram Grant believes Chelsea were the better side in their Carling Cup final defeat to Tottenham.
The Blues boss saw his side take the lead at Wembley through a first-half Didier Drogba free-kick.
However, Tottenham equalised through a controversial 70th minute Dimitar Berbatov penalty after Wayne Bridge was adjudged to have handled in the 18-yard area.
Jonathan Woodgate then headed an extra-time winner after Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech had punched his clearance against the Tottenham defender, but Grant insists his side did not deserve to lose.
Better side
"I think even in the second half Tottenham were not in the game and that we were the better side," Grant told Sky Sports 1.
"The penalty put them back in the game and that turned the match. The second goal was from a set piece so we are disappointed.
"I did not think it was a penalty. Wayne Bridge could not keep his hand behind his back when he was challenging for the ball and you saw it was not the referee who gave it but the linesman.
"It was always going to be close because cup finals are like this and it was not a great performance from both teams. We tried to score a goal and keep it tight but we lost.''
Baffled
Grant also admitted he was baffled by referee Mark Halsey's decision to blow the final whistle as Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou broke clear of the Spurs defence in the dying seconds.
"I have never seen such a thing in my life and I have never before seen the referee finish a match when this situation is happening,'' Grant continued.
"Also in extra time it was not a proper football match with all the stoppages.
"The players are disappointed because we have come a long way to get to the final and we are proud to get here.
"But we still have the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup so we must now focus on them."
Grant, though, is adamant that he will not blame Cech for his error and is confident Chelsea will bounce back.
"We win as a team and lose as a team," Grant added. "There are always personal mistakes in football, but we lost as a team, we will see what we can learn from this game.
"We would like to get back to winning a few games in a way. We got to the final, which was not easy.
"Now, we have lost but we are still in all three other competitions and will do our best in them."
The Blues boss saw his side take the lead at Wembley through a first-half Didier Drogba free-kick.
However, Tottenham equalised through a controversial 70th minute Dimitar Berbatov penalty after Wayne Bridge was adjudged to have handled in the 18-yard area.
Jonathan Woodgate then headed an extra-time winner after Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech had punched his clearance against the Tottenham defender, but Grant insists his side did not deserve to lose.
Better side
"I think even in the second half Tottenham were not in the game and that we were the better side," Grant told Sky Sports 1.
"The penalty put them back in the game and that turned the match. The second goal was from a set piece so we are disappointed.
"I did not think it was a penalty. Wayne Bridge could not keep his hand behind his back when he was challenging for the ball and you saw it was not the referee who gave it but the linesman.
"It was always going to be close because cup finals are like this and it was not a great performance from both teams. We tried to score a goal and keep it tight but we lost.''
Baffled
Grant also admitted he was baffled by referee Mark Halsey's decision to blow the final whistle as Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou broke clear of the Spurs defence in the dying seconds.
"I have never seen such a thing in my life and I have never before seen the referee finish a match when this situation is happening,'' Grant continued.
"Also in extra time it was not a proper football match with all the stoppages.
"The players are disappointed because we have come a long way to get to the final and we are proud to get here.
"But we still have the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup so we must now focus on them."
Grant, though, is adamant that he will not blame Cech for his error and is confident Chelsea will bounce back.
"We win as a team and lose as a team," Grant added. "There are always personal mistakes in football, but we lost as a team, we will see what we can learn from this game.
"We would like to get back to winning a few games in a way. We got to the final, which was not easy.
"Now, we have lost but we are still in all three other competitions and will do our best in them."
