Juan Mata questioned the decision to play six minutes of added time after Luis Suarez’s last-gasp header saw us leave Anfield with only a point after a 2-2 draw.
The Blues looked on course to head back to London with all three in the bag until the Uruguayan – who perhaps shouldn’t have been on the pitch after television replays showed him aim a bite at the arm of Branislav Ivanovic – pounced in the dying seconds, leaving Mata and his team-mates more than a little frustrated.
‘A point is a point but we’re disappointed, that’s the truth,’ said Mata. ‘We had the three points until the last second; we tried until the end, we defended well in the second half but at the end we couldn’t.
‘In terms of the added minutes, six minutes is a lot, so we were very disappointed at the end because it was an important game for us, especially with Tottenham and Arsenal winning.
‘We will try until the end to finish in third position. Third and fourth are available, second is another challenge, but we want to play in the Champions League next season.’
It was Mata who supplied the delivery for Oscar to head us in front midway through the first half, before Daniel Sturridge equalised for the hosts soon after the break.
Eden Hazard put us back in front from the penalty spot before Suarez’s late intervention, and Mata felt it was the introduction of his former Chelsea team-mate which altered the complexion of the match.
‘In the first half we did well, we played some good football and scored the goal,’ said the Spaniard.
‘Sturridge changed the game in the first 10 minutes of the second half with his pace and he scored the goal, but we scored the second goal and defended very well until the end.
‘We are still alive and we will fight until the last game. With three points we would have been in a better situation, but we still have to face Tottenham and Manchester United and we have many more important games to come.’
– A clip of Juan Mata talking to Chelsea TV after the game is above with the full interview available via the channel’s online access.