Rafael Benitez says Alex Ferguson ignored pre-match handshake

 
 Chelsea Manager Rafael Benitez said Manchester United administrator Sir Alex Ferguson abandoned their handshake afore Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final.

The brace accept had an more abounding accord back the Spaniard's time at Liverpool and the astriction alike afresh at Old Trafford.

Benitez said: "I was cat-and-mouse for him at the beginning, so you should ask him. I accept education. I was ready.

"I apperceive a lot of humans were watching and I knew what to do."

He added: "It's up to him. I was in the way waiting. If you are adventurous enough, ask him."

A growing acrimony amid Ferguson and Benitez, aforetime on affable terms, came to a arch in January 2009 if the afresh Liverpool administrator abundantly claimed the Scot accustomed best analysis from the football authorities.

"Everyone can see that I'm talking about facts," the Liverpool administrator told journalists. "I'm just adage things that everybody can see."

Most recently, Ferguson declared the above Valencia and Inter Milan bang-up as a "lucky manager" afterwards he landed the column at Stamford Bridge.

The brace afresh bootless to agitate easily at the final blare on Sunday afterwards Chelsea staged a active improvement from 2-0 down, goals from acting Eden Hazard and Ramires in the additional bisected ambience up a epitomize at Stamford Bridge for the appropriate to face Manchester City in the semi-final.

Early strikes from Javier Hernandez and the recalled Wayne Rooney had put United in command.

Benitez explained: "I was with my players, celebrating."

It is not the aboriginal altercation surrounding Ferguson and a handshake. In February 2012, if Luis Suarez banned to agitate Patrice Evra's duke afore a match, Ferguson said: "I couldn't accept Suarez banned Evra's handshake. You saw the adjudicator [Phil Dowd]. He didn't apperceive what to do. It was a abhorrent alpha to the bold and it created a abhorrent atmosphere.

"Suarez is a abasement to Liverpool Football Club. He should not be accustomed to play for Liverpool again. He could accept acquired a riot."

Chelsea concluded the bold in the advantage and Benitez said: "We accept analysed the bold and we adapted to win.

"We had some acceptable counter-attacks even if we were two goals down in the aboriginal bisected and in the additional bisected we were on top of them with some acceptable football, abundant aggregation spirit and alive harder with affection and commitment."

Benitez afflicted the advance of the bold just afterwards the breach if he replaced Frank Lampard and Victor Moses with Hazard and Jon Mikel Obi.

He said: "I am a professional. We had been to Romania in the Europa League on Thursday and I knew we had players who would be annoyed and we had to administer the squad.

"We started with beginning legs but knew we would accept to accomplish substitutions and Hazard is a amateur with superior who can change [a game]."

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Chelsea beaten in Europa last 16 tie first leg

 
 Raul Rusescu addled a first-half amends to accord Steaua Bucharest a attenuated advantage in their Europa League last-16 tie adjoin Chelsea.

Rusescu addled his 23rd ambition of the attack afterwards he was befuddled by Ryan Bertrand as they competed for a cross.

Cristian Tanase about absent from 20 yards for Steaua in the additional bisected afterwards acceptable plan by Iasmin Latovlevici.

Chelsea created few affairs in a laboured performance, but Juan Mata and Marko Marin went abutting backward on.

Steaua, who authority a 12-point advance at the top of the Romanian top division, enjoyed the greater allotment of what few affairs there were, animated on by a army that included ex-Romania captain Gheorghe Hagi, above US and French Open tennis best Ilie Nastase and the country's Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

Chelsea asperous a spell of aboriginal Steaua burden afterwards too abundant difficulty, with the home ancillary belted to one all-embracing accomplishment from Alexandru Chipciu in the aperture half-an-hour.

The European champions struggled to actualize abounding aboriginal openings themselves, though, as they were belted abundantly to aggressive from set-pieces in a arresting aboriginal half, during which a amount of their players were targeted by a laser pen directed at them from the crowd.

They went abaft in the 34th minute, if Bertrand was advised to accept befuddled Rusescu as they challenged for Latovlevici's superb left-wing cross.

Rusescu, Romanian calm football's arch scorer, best himself up to bang the consistent amends low and harder into the corner, although babysitter Petr Cech got a duke to it.

The absorbing Latovlevici connected to could cause problems as an advancing left-back in the additional half, carrying a cantankerous that Chelsea struggled to bright afore Chipciu set up Tanase to drive a low attempt advanced from 20 yards.

In contrast, Chelsea remained bromidic even afterwards Mata came on to alter Benayoun in the 64th minute.

Hazard had a half-chance with just over 15 account to go, battlefront over from a bound bend if Torres nodded the brawl into his path.

Marin about snatched a backward equaliser afterwards advancing on as a substitute, acid in from the larboard to hit a low right-foot attempt that Tatarusanu pushed out at the abreast post, while David Luiz hit a free-kick just over.

But Benitez's ancillary could not score, and accept plan to do at Stamford Bridge to about-face the tie about in the additional leg next Thursday.

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Di Matteo should not join Schalke, says former Switzerland coach Fringer

The ex-Chelsea bang-up has been affiliated with a move to Germany in contempo weeks, but the Italian's above club administrator believes he would acquisition success at the Veltins Arena

Former Switzerland drillmaster Rolf Fringer has warned Roberto Di Matteo that German football will not clothing his authoritative style, with Schalke reportedly absorbed in hiring him.

Fringer has been a acceptable acquaintance of Di Matteo's back alive with him at FC Schaffhausen over 20 years ago and has acclaimed the Italianвs intelligence and "social skills".

However, the 56-year-old has appropriate that the Bundesliga would not be a acceptable destination for Di Matteo, admitting assertive he could "help" the disturbing Konigsblauen.

"I can assure all German clubs: if he comes to Germany, he will not clothing this blazon of football," Fringer said. "I do anticipate that he could advice Schalke. But, I'm not assertive that he would canyon 

"There are just clubs who consistently wish too abundant and abort aggregate with it, like Schalke. He is far too alive and he knows that he could be put on the casting seat. I do not anticipate he would do it.

"He is a appropriate guy with acceptable sense. He was able with abundant amusing abilities as a amateur and was actual able in games, and accordingly I am not afraid that he has had abundant success as a coach."

Di Matteo won the Champions League and FA Cup bifold with the Blues endure season, and Fringer believes it was a aggregate of assurance and fate that brought the Italian such affluent rewards.

Fringer said: "When he was my player, he was actual young. Also the naturalisation in the Swiss civic aggregation was a topic, but he did not wish to play for them. He consistently had a goal, a vision.

"He consistently capital to become an Italy international. That is over 20 years ago. It was not simple for a adolescent guy from a baby bigoted boondocks in Switzerland. But, he did it because he absolutely capital to.

"Momentum was on his ancillary at Chelsea. From his relatable ancillary and his qualities, Roberto adapted that fate.

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Chelsea midfielder De Bruyne not thinking about future until end of season

 

The Belgium all-embracing has been impressing on accommodation in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen this term, but he is borderline about what will appear if he allotment to west London.

Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has appear that he will alone anticipate about the next footfall in his career already his accommodation spell with Werder Bremen nears an end.

The Belgium all-embracing active for Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea ancillary during the 2012 January alteration window, but remained with Racing Genk, his club at the time, until the end of the season.

With Oscar accession from Internacional, a approved atom in the aggregation looked absurd and he was appropriately beatific on accommodation to Bundesliga ancillary Werder Bremen area he has impressed, but he insists he will not be cerebration about next division until this appellation draws to a close.

Speaking to Bild, the 21-year-old said: "It is not the appropriate time to allocution about my future. I anticipate it will alone appear about three bout canicule afore the end of the season, maybe even afterwards the season."

However, the German club's antic administrator Thomas Eichin had a altered appearance on the amount and expects to accept discussions with the amateur and his abettor in the advancing weeks.

Eichin said: "We wish to allocution in the abreast approaching and analysis the situation. We have to get a activity about how Kevin and his abettor see the situation."

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Chelsea set to land £10m replacement for Cole

Shaw

Chelsea wish Luke Shaw to accomplish Ashley Cole as their first-choice larboard aback afterwards aperture talks over a summer move.

Sportsmail can acknowledge the Blues had a ВЈ10million action for the England Under 21 apostle alone by Southampton in January.

Chelsea aswell bootless with a move for Shaw during the summer alteration window.

However, talks over a big-money move for Shaw are continuing, with Chelsea more assured of landing the awful rated 17-year-old.

Despite the ambiguity surrounding who will be in allegation at Stamford Bridge next season, Shaw charcoal a antecedence signing.

Having active a 12-month addendum to his contract, Cole's position as Chelsea's first-choice larboard aback is defended until the end of next season.

England left back Cole, 32

But Chelsea will still attending to complete a accord for Shaw this summer and could accommodation the jailbait aback to Saints next season.

Arsenal administrator Arsene Wenger and his affecting arch advance Steve Rowley accept aswell articular Shaw as a top target.

But Chelsea are now durably in pole position to assurance the defender, who is angled to become a approaching England regular.


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Chelsea through to face Steaua Bucharest in Europa League

 
Eden Hazard addled in the additional minute of abeyance time to forward Chelsea through adjoin Sparta Prague in the Europa League.

The acting bankrupt into the box and accomplished an unstoppable attempt accomplished Tomas Vaclik to equalise on the night and bottle the Blues' one-goal advantage from the aboriginal leg.

The visitors had levelled the tie if David Lafata addled in the 17th minute.

Fernando Torres absent a host of affairs afore Hazard's backward winner.

Having apparent the Blues defended a 1-0 advantage in the abroad leg, Chelsea admirers ability accept hoped their ancillary had done the harder allotment of accepting their abode in the endure 16, breadth they will now face Steaua Bucharest afterwards the Romanian ancillary exhausted Ajax on penalties.

But a section of quick cerebration at a free-kick on 17 account levelled the tie and afflicted the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge. With Chelsea back-pedalling, the brawl was confused rapidly to Vaclav Kadlec who eluded Cahill to cull the brawl aback to Lafata, who attempt top into the net from eight yards out.

The ambition stung Chelsea into greater urgency, but for all their control they could not abuse the Sparta goal. Mata controlled a Ramires canyon with abundant skill, flicking the brawl over his arch afore sending in a bouncing attempt that Vaclik did able-bodied to tip over.

Torres afresh completed a leash of first-half misses with a aerial attack over the bar afterwards he had slipped in amid two Sparta defenders.

Ramires addled the column with a deflected attempt beneath than a minute into the additional half, but Chelsea took afflatus for a while and stepped up the pressure. John Terry came abutting to an equaliser in absurd fashion, banishment Vaclik into a save with a flick while adverse abroad from ambition at a free-kick.
But as the bold wore on the visitors took affection from Chelsea's disability to about-face burden into chances. The Czech ancillary were abrupt on the break, and Matejovsky went abutting afterwards Terry was bent in control in the Sparta half. Kadlec accustomed a abutting home army to breathe afresh if he attempt advanced with Lafata in amplitude central the Chelsea area.

The fans' astriction seemed to alteration to the home side, and Sparta went abutting to demography the tie in the closing stages. Gary Cahill fabricated a acute block to stop a Kadlec shot, and as added time loomed the Czech striker abject addition attempt wide.

The absent affairs accepted to be crucial, though.

With beneath than a minute of abrasion time remaining, Hazard begin abundant amplitude to move into the breadth and assignment the brawl accomplished Vaclik.

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