Mata completes Chelsea transfer

Mata had also been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham Juan Mata has completed his move to Chelsea from Spanish club Valencia for a reported £23.5m.

Mata has signed a five-year contract and is available for Saturday's game against Norwich.

"Valencia was a big club anyway but I have left to join a bigger club," the 23-year-old winger said. "It is all about the opportunity to win trophies and I have that here."

The Spaniard said Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas convinced him to move.

"He said he wanted Chelsea this season to play more attacking football, and that I would be a big part of that," added Mata.

"Villas-Boas is someone who won almost everything last year [the former Porto boss won the Portuguese league, Europa League and two domestic cups last season] and we are both here with the idea of winning lots this season."

Continue reading the main story Andy Brassell,
European football expert

You can argue Mata brings something Chelsea have lacked since Arjen Robben left - a player with real acceleration who can put defenders on the back foot. I do not think it means an end to Chelsea's efforts to sign Luka Modric as, while Mata can play in the centre, I would be very surprised if he did for Chelsea. I would imagine he will play on the right with Florent Malouda on the left. He is creative and has two good feet, although he is predominantly left-footed. Mata is quite a modest and down-to-earth guy and can be a key player for Chelsea for years to come.

Mata, who can play on the wing or centrally, revealed that he could have a versatile role in a Chelsea side that lacked width last season.

"The plan is that I can play on either flank or even in the middle playing in between the lines of midfield and attack, he said.

"I like to keep the ball and use it well, I am an attacking player and above all I like to set up goals and score them also.

"I want to adapt as quickly as possible to my new surroundings, my colleagues and this league, and I would love to win a trophy in my first season.

"If it can be the Premier League then great."

Chelsea and Valencia confirmed that a fee had been agreed on Sunday and while it has not been officially disclosed reports in Spain suggest the Blues are paying £23.5m.

Mata has been at Valencia since 2007 and as captain helped Spain win the Under-21 European Championship in the summer. He was also part of Spain's 2010 World Cup winning squad.

Mata joined Valencia from Real Madrid's youth team. Last season, the 23-year-old midfielder, who is 5ft 7in tall, scored eight goals to help Valencia to a third-place finish in the Primera Liga.

He was also part of Spain's 2010 World Cup-winning squad.

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Chelsea 0-1 Man Utd

Rooney (left) directs an angled shot into the Chelsea goal to put Man Utd ahead
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Stamford Bridge

Manchester United took a firm grip on the Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea as Wayne Rooney's winner gave them a crucial first-leg advantage at Stamford Bridge.

Rooney rounded off a fine move involving Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs after 24 minutes to put United in the ascendancy as they battle with Chelsea to face Inter Milan or Schalke 04 in the semi-final.

After being hit with an Football Association charge for swearing into the camera after scoring in United's win at West Ham United on Saturday, Rooney was all smiles as he delivered the away goal his manager Sir Alex Ferguson had demanded ahead of the all-Premier League confrontation.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti paired Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres in attack - but it was another fruitless and frustrating night for the Spaniard as his goal drought goes on since his £50m British record transfer from Lverpool.

Drogba struck a post and Patrice Evra cleared off the line from Frank Lampard in first-half injury time, while Chelsea and their supporters were infuriated when two penalty claims were rejected by Spanish referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco in the dying seconds.

Ancelotti blasts ref's penalty denial

Ramires tumbled under challenge from Evra while Torres went down as he tangled with Antonio Valencia. Chelsea's demands went unanswered - and Torres saw insult added to his injury when he was booked for diving.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who had Rio Ferdinand available for the first time since February, was elated at the final whistle as all his pre-match demands were fulfilled in the fight to face Inter Milan or Schalke 04 in the last four.

And victory will have tasted sweet for Ferdinand after he was taunted by Chelsea's fans following Fabio Capello's decision to reinstate John Terry to the England captaincy in place of the Manchester United defender.

United were industrious and well-organised, with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar presenting a formidable barrier with a performance that once again suggested his decision to retire at the end of the season may be premature.

He was outstanding throughout and distinguished himself with one late save from a Torres header that demonstrated his enduring powers of athleticism.

Chelsea now face a huge task at Old Trafford to rescue the tie and keep their main hope of silverware alive this season, as well as easing pressure on Ancelotti.

Ancelotti had pinned much of his hopes on the pairing of Drogba and Torres, but they were kept at bay until a late flurry of first-half activity finally unsettled United's defence.

Torres made an energetic start and Drogba forced a fine fingertip save from Van der Sar with a rising drive from the angle as Chelsea attempted to apply early pressure.

It was United, however, who took the lead with a superbly constructed goal after 24 minutes as they delivered the away goal Ferguson had insisted upon in the build-up to the tie.

Carrick, whose range and accuracy of passing was a feature of United's play, found Giggs with a raking ball and when the veteran displayed superb touch and control to find Rooney, he scored with a low finish past Petr Cech.

Chelsea offered their increasingly frustrated supporters some hope seconds before half-time when United somehow survived a desperate scramble. Torres failed to apply a touch to Drogba's effort and when Lampard looked certain to score from the rebound Evra made a desperate, and decisive, block.

Tie is not over - Ferguson

Drogba was trying manfully to spark life into Chelsea and he fashioned a chance for Ramires that the Brazilian, arriving at pace in the area, could only divert wide of the target.

United suffered a blow when the unlucky Rafael was hurt in a touchline collision with Drogba and, despite his efforts to play on, was stretchered off and replaced by Nani.

As United held firm, with an ever-present menace on the counter-attack, Ancelotti made a double change with 20 minutes left, replacing Yuri Zhirkov and Drogba with Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka.

Torres almost broke the barren spell he has endured at Chelsea moments after the change with a fine looping header from Ramires' cross that was clawed away to safety by Van der Sar as Chelsea looked to build momentum.

Van der Sar had been a model of composure when Chelsea did pierce United's defence and his handling was secure once more when Lampard's free-kick found a way through the defensive wall.

United had anxious moments as they survived two penalty appeals - but their satisfaction at their night's work was evident as they celebrated with their supporters in a corner of Stamford Bridge at the final whistle.

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Champions League

Final Result Full Time 90:00+4:20 The referee blows his whistle to end the game. 90:00+3:16 Substitution Chris Smalling comes on in place of Ji-Sung Park. 90:00+2:40 Booking Fernando Torres is cautioned. 90:00+0:45 Fernando Torres concedes a free kick for a foul on Antonio Valencia. Antonio Valencia takes the direct free kick. 89:19 Nicolas Anelka takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 87:33 Nicolas Anelka has a header from deep inside the six-yard box and clears the crossbar. 84:49 Branislav Ivanovic takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 82:43 Antonio Valencia challenges Florent Malouda unfairly and gives away a free kick. Ashley Cole takes the free kick. 82:29 Foul by Dimitar Berbatov on Branislav Ivanovic, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by John Terry. 80:07 Rio Ferdinand challenges Florent Malouda unfairly and gives away a free kick. Shot on goal comes in from Frank Lampard from the free kick, save by Edwin Van der Sar. 79:13 Booking Edwin Van der Sar is cautioned by the ref for time wasting. 78:23 Antonio Valencia challenges Fernando Torres unfairly and gives away a free kick. The free kick is delivered right-footed by Frank Lampard from left wing. 77:53 Substitution Jose Bosingwa leaves the field to be replaced by Mikel. 77:27 Substitution Dimitar Berbatov is brought on as a substitute for Javier Hernandez. 76:46 Florent Malouda takes a shot. Rio Ferdinand gets a block in. 74:38 Patrice Evra fouled by Ramires, the ref awards a free kick. Patrice Evra restarts play with the free kick. 73:57 Fernando Torres takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 73:21 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Florent Malouda by Nemanja Vidic. Frank Lampard takes the free kick. 73:21 Booking Booking for Nemanja Vidic for unsporting behaviour. 70:01 Substitution Nicolas Anelka comes on in place of Didier Drogba. 69:37 Substitution Yury Zhirkov goes off and Florent Malouda comes on. 69:27 Effort from outside the box by Michael Essien goes wide right of the target. 67:12 Ryan Giggs takes the outswinging corner, clearance by John Terry. 66:45 Luis Nani delivers the ball. 65:48 Michael Essien gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Michael Carrick. Direct free kick taken by Nemanja Vidic. 65:48 Booking Michael Essien goes into the referee's book for unsporting behaviour. 64:55 Javier Hernandez is caught offside. Petr Cech restarts play with the free kick. 61:50 Ji-Sung Park fouled by Didier Drogba, the ref awards a free kick. Michael Carrick takes the free kick. 60:44 Ryan Giggs decides to take a short corner. 59:52 Ramires gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Patrice Evra. Patrice Evra takes the direct free kick. 59:52 Booking Ramires booked for unsporting behaviour. 56:48 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Ramires by Patrice Evra. Frank Lampard takes the direct free kick. 56:14 Didier Drogba produces a right-footed shot from close range which goes wide of the right-hand post. 55:47 Frank Lampard takes a inswinging corner from the left by-line to the near post, clearance by Javier Hernandez. 54:44 The assistant referee flags for offside against Javier Hernandez. Free kick taken by Petr Cech. 53:00 Patrice Evra challenges Didier Drogba unfairly and gives away a free kick. Didier Drogba takes the direct free kick. 52:24 Luis Nani takes a shot. Save made by Petr Cech. 50:30 Substitution (Man Utd) makes a substitution, with Luis Nani coming on for Rafael Da Silva. 49:34 Header by Ramires from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the target. 48:41 The ball is delivered by Ashley Cole. 45:30 Michael Essien fouled by Ji-Sung Park, the ref awards a free kick. Branislav Ivanovic takes the direct free kick. 45:01 The game restarts for the second half. Half Time 45:00+1:23 The half-time whistle blows. 45:00+0:24 Frank Lampard takes a shot. Rio Ferdinand gets a block in. 44:59 Frank Lampard takes a shot. Blocked by Patrice Evra. 44:07 Wayne Rooney takes a shot. Save by Petr Cech. 40:53 Centre by Wayne Rooney. 39:31 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Branislav Ivanovic by Ryan Giggs. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Didier Drogba, clearance made by Rio Ferdinand. 38:54 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Jose Bosingwa by Ji-Sung Park. Direct free kick taken by Jose Bosingwa. 35:13 Yury Zhirkov concedes a free kick for a foul on Javier Hernandez. Ryan Giggs restarts play with the free kick. 35:13 Booking Yury Zhirkov receives a caution for unsporting behaviour. 32:27 Michael Essien takes a shot. Michael Carrick gets a block in. 31:39 Yury Zhirkov takes a outswinging corner to the near post, clearance made by Javier Hernandez. 30:51 Fernando Torres takes a shot. 30:06 Antonio Valencia concedes a free kick for a foul on Ashley Cole. Direct free kick taken by Ashley Cole. 29:34 Didier Drogba challenges Nemanja Vidic unfairly and gives away a free kick. Edwin Van der Sar takes the direct free kick. 28:50 Ramires gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Patrice Evra. Patrice Evra takes the direct free kick. 26:59 Michael Carrick is penalised for a handball. Michael Essien takes the indirect free kick. 23:13 Assist by Ryan Giggs. 23:13 GOAL - Wayne Rooney:Chelsea 0 - 1 Man Utd Wayne Rooney gets on the score sheet with a goal from inside the box to the bottom right corner of the goal. Chelsea 0-1 Man Utd. 22:17 Ryan Giggs takes a outswinging corner from the left by-line played to the near post, clearance by Didier Drogba. 21:33 Ashley Cole challenges Antonio Valencia unfairly and gives away a free kick. Rio Ferdinand takes the direct free kick. 19:31 Yury Zhirkov concedes a free kick for a foul on Antonio Valencia. Ryan Giggs takes the direct free kick. 19:01 Corner from the right by-line taken by Frank Lampard, clearance by Rio Ferdinand. 18:50 Didier Drogba takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 18:24 Jose Bosingwa produces a cross. 18:07 Antonio Valencia gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Fernando Torres. Frank Lampard takes the free kick. 16:33 Free kick awarded for a foul by Ashley Cole on Antonio Valencia. Rio Ferdinand takes the direct free kick. 15:50 Corner taken by Ryan Giggs from the right by-line. 15:37 Ji-Sung Park takes a shot. Didier Drogba gets a block in. 14:57 Outswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Ryan Giggs. 14:18 Ji-Sung Park takes a shot. Blocked by John Terry. 13:56 Michael Essien concedes a free kick for a foul on Ryan Giggs. Wayne Rooney takes the free kick. 12:59 Unfair challenge on Michael Carrick by Didier Drogba results in a free kick. Rio Ferdinand restarts play with the free kick. 9:19 Fernando Torres concedes a free kick for a foul on Ji-Sung Park. Patrice Evra restarts play with the free kick. 8:14 Centre by Fernando Torres. 6:08 Fernando Torres takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 4:58 Didier Drogba takes a shot from 35 yards and went wide of the right-hand post. 3:12 Foul by Fernando Torres on Rio Ferdinand, free kick awarded. Edwin Van der Sar takes the direct free kick. 0:33 Free kick awarded for a foul by Patrice Evra on Fernando Torres. Jose Bosingwa takes the free kick. 0:00 The match begins. Live text and data provided by The Press Association.

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Terry wants Chelsea to 'man up'

Uefa Champions League last 16 first leg
Venue: Parken Stadion Date: Tuesday, 22 February Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Coverage: Commentary on BBC Radio 5 live & BBC Sport website; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobiles; also live on Sky Sports 2

Chelsea still alive - Ancelotti

Chelsea captain John Terry has insisted the players remain completely behind under-fire manager Carlo Ancelotti and has ordered them to "man up".

The Blues face Copenhagen in Tuesday's last-16 Champions League tie with the competition being the only realistic chance they have of winning silverware.

"It's been difficult because at times we have shown our quality," Terry said.

"But we are where we are. We have to man up a bit as a group of players and take responsibility."

Following their FA Cup exit and a slide to fifth in the Premier League table, Chelsea will play the Danish league leaders with owner Roman Abramovich seeking his first European trophy since he bought the club in 2003.

However, the Blues have a challenge to qualify for next season's competition.

They are two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, while third-placed Manchester City are four points better off than Chelsea.

And Terry agreed with midfielder Frank Lampard that not qualifying for the competition next season would be a disaster.

"That's obviously the worst thing to think about, looking at Spurs and City," he added. "They're playing well and picking up points at a crucial time.

"It would be disastrous for the football club if we don't qualify for the Champions League. It's even hard to get my head around it now."

Despite a stuttering season, Terry, 30, insisted that the team was not too old and had the necessary ambition to go all the way in the Champions League this time.

He added: "That's what we've still got at the football club - hunger and desire. We missed out on the Premier League for three years when Man United won it and it hurt.

"That's what I lose sleep over, watching other teams lift trophies, because I want to be the one lifting trophies for this football club.

"We went through a bad spell in the Premier League last year. You get the speculation, you get the people saying the squad is past its best, we're getting too old - and then we go on and win the Double.

"The manager has brought in two very good young players as well - we're talking world-class players - in Fernando Torres and David Luiz."

Chelsea boss Ancelotti said the club could still enjoy their best campaign, with the Blues still looking for their first European Cup.

"Maybe it could be the best season that we can ever have a memory of. Maybe it could be the worst. I don't know," Ancelotti stated. "But wait, wait. Chelsea has not died. It is still alive."

The Italian boss won the Champions League with AC Milan in 2007 and led the Rossoneri to fourth place in Serie A that season, despite the club being docked eight points in the Italian match-fixing scandal.

So the manager, who has insisted he will not quit his job, said he can cope with the pressure.

"A lot of times, I've been able to manage this moment. I want to remind you in 2007 it was the same situation and the Italian journalists know this," added Ancelotti, who saw Everton beat his men 4-3 on penalties in their FA Cup fourth-round replay on Saturday.

"The Champions League is the most important competition. We're involved this season more compared with the other competitions.

"To be under pressure, this means to be focused and try to do our best in this competition, to try to win.

"We have to think game by game and move on from this stage. It will not be easy because Copenhagen are a very good team with great organisation.

"We have to pay attention and play 180 minutes, not just 90. We have to prepare well for both games."

Copenhagen's players are confident of piling on the misery for Chelsea at the Parken Stadion.

Danes look forward to Chelsea clash

The Danes have never lost at home in the Champions League, beating the likes of Celtic and Manchester United in recent years as well as drawing with Barcelona earlier this season.

Although they have not played a competitive match since their final Champions League Group game more than two months ago and are the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, they appear far from overawed about a game being billed in Denmark as the biggest in the club's history.

"Since 10 January, we have been preparing for this game and this game only," coach Stale Solbakken revealed.

"Maybe we haven't had the opposition we've needed to be at our best level but the players are in good shape and confident.

"Some of my players are so daft that they think they're a better side than Chelsea. Maybe I should be talking them down a bit.

"Some have only lost one or two games playing in this side, so they think it's easy. Confidence is very high in the team."

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Ivanovic signs new Chelsea deal

Ivanovic was in the PFA Premier League team of the year last seasonChelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has signed a contract extension which is set to keep him at the club until 2016.

The 26-year-old Serbia international moved to Stamford Bridge in January 2008 for an undisclosed fee.

He has made 99 appearances for the Blues and was named in last season's PFA Premier League team of the year.

"It is good news for me, it is a very big step for me in my career and I want to try to help Chelsea win a lot more trophies," he said.

"These things take a little time but my first vision was always to stay with Chelsea.

"There were not a lot of problems because I wanted to stay, the club wanted me to stay and I want to thank everyone who helped with the deal. I am very happy with that."

During his three years at the club Ivanovic has won two FA Cups as well as last year's Premier League title, and has scored seven goals.

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