It was a frustrating weekend for several of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists as they prepared for this week's second legs. Four sides were held to league draws, although there were useful wins for Chelsea FC, FC Schalke 04, Fenerbahçe SK and AS Roma.
Title challenges
Chelsea's victory at Manchester City FC cut Manchester United FC's lead at the top of the Premier League to just three points as Sir Alex Ferguson's side could only draw at Middlesbrough FC, while Roma kept up the pressure on Serie A leaders FC Internazionale Milano and Fenerbahçe consolidated their place at the head of the Turkish Süper Lig. The title hopes of FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC suffered serious knocks, however, as both were held to costly home draws. uefa.com round up the reaction.
| Manchester United FC v AS Roma | AS Roma 3-2 Genoa CFC (Taddei 14, Vučinić 17, De Rossi 80pen; Rossi 58, Leon 59)
Luciano Spalletti: "We played with heart especially after Genoa scored twice in a minute. We struggled because they played very well and are in good shape but we deserved the victory. We made too many mistakes when we were 2-0 up allowing them to come back. [Daniele] De Rossi proved what a great character he is by scoring a penalty at a delicate stage. It was important to earn three points; now we can start thinking about Old Trafford." | Middlesbrough FC 2-2 Manchester United FC (Alves 35 56; Ronaldo 10, Rooney 74)
Sir Alex Ferguson: "We could have lost. They had some chances and at times our defending was a bit haphazard. But we could have won because some of the quality of our football was terrific. At 1-0 we looked very strong and were controlling the match. They changed the formation back to 4-4-2, got an equaliser and it was a great game after that. It was end to end and both teams deserve great credit." |
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| FC Barcelona v FC Schalke 04 | FC Barcelona 0-0 Getafe CF
Frank Rijkaard: "It wasn't our best performance but we fought hard in order to achieve our objective. We hit the post three times and had many other great opportunities but when the ball doesn't want to go in, what can you do? When you score you feel more secure and the whole complexion of the game changes, but when it doesn't happen for you, you become more and more anxious. We must stay strong and keep working hard. The players need all the support that can be given to them." | FC Schalke 04 1-0 FC Hansa Rostock (Altıntop 52)
Mirko Slomka: "We created many, many good chances in the first half down the wings; there were plenty of good crosses. I was actually pleased with the first half. We kept our calm and opened the scoring, then we had some chances on the counterattack. The defense was flawless. The back four and our two holding midfielders were responsible for us not conceding a goal." |
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| Chelsea FC v Fenerbahçe SK | Manchester City FC 0-2 Chelsea FC (Dunne og 6, Kalou 53)
Avram Grant: "For the past three months we have won almost 80 per cent of our league games; that's the record of champions and we have come a long way when you consider a lot of clubs were ahead of us during the season. Manchester United are also doing well but I don't think they will win until the end of the season. We will just carry on doing our job, like we did today. I'm pleased with the result. I am always happy when we win. We started well but City came back at us. They put on a good show in the first half but we played better in the second period and could have scored more." | Fenerbahçe SK 2-1 Kayserispor (Alex 65pen, Semih Şentürk 90; Saidou 32)
Zico: "The match was as hard as we expected. We started the game well and were in control. We could have even scored a goal but instead we conceded one. In the second half, we took risks and finally got the win. I think that's a deserved victory." |
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| Liverpool FC v Arsenal FC | Arsenal FC 1-1 Liverpool FC (Bendtner 54; Crouch 42)
Rafael Benítez: "We could have lost because they had chances but we had two or three opportunities as well. I was a little bit disappointed because we could have won. It was an open game at the end. We knew we had to work hard and did that for a long time. We were well organised and scored a good goal. A lot of players who don't normally play played well. You could see some players were tired but the majority played with a lot of passion." | Arsenal FC 1-1 Liverpool FC (Bendtner 54; Crouch 42)
Arsène Wenger: "In my brain the title race is not over. It depends on the results of the other teams. I said we would need at least five wins and a draw. It is frustrating again. It was a bit of repetition of Wednesday night. We had problems starting the game and then got into it. Then just before half-time they got the goal and then defended for every ball in their half. We had to throw everything forward and left ourselves open a little to counterattacks." |
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