• Champions League

Chelsea are not dead yet - Mata

ESPN staff
February 22, 2012
It all looked so good for Chelsea when Juan Mata gave them the lead against Napoli © PA Photos
Enlarge

Juan Mata, Chelsea's goalscorer in Italy, insists the Blues should not be written off in their Champions League last-16 tie against Napoli.

Chelsea were beaten 3-1 on Tuesday night, despite Mata handing them a first-half lead. Two goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi and one from Edinson Cavani turned the tie on its head and left the Blues needing a 2-0 victory on home soil to stay in the competition.

Defeat extended Chelsea's winless run to five matches in all competitions and heaped pressure on manager Andre Villas-Boas. There was also plenty of blame aimed at certain Chelsea players, not least David Luiz who was at fault for Napoli's third goal.

Villas-Boas is reported to be facing a "revolt" from some of his most experienced players, with the Sun claiming he left Frank Lampard and Michael Essien on the bench after they criticised the Portuguese in a clear-the-air meeting. The Chelsea boss did admit post-match that Ashley Cole and Lampard disagreed with his starting XI.

However, Mata, who has been one of the club's few bright spots this season, insists the post-mortems should not be conducted yet, insisting the tie is still alive at Stamford Bridge.

"We have to score in London. I know with our supporters, we are not dead," Mata told Sky Sports News. "It will not be easy for us but I think we can do it."

If Chelsea do manage to advance to the quarter-finals, they will become only the fourth team in the competition's history to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices