Man United showed mental fatigue against Chelsea, admits Sir Alex

Sir Alex Ferguson admits his Manchester United side showed “signs of mental fatigue” before they squandered a two-goal lead against Chelsea in the FA Cup.

United found themselves 2-0 up at Old Trafford after just 11 minutes but the Blues fought back after half-time to force a quarter-final replay at Stamford Bridge.

And the Red Devils boss believes his players looked drained after taking on Chelsea just days after seeing their Champions League hopes ended by Real Madrid.

“You could see the signs of mental fatigue in the first half against Chelsea, with the way we were giving the ball away in situations when we were not under particular pressure,” said Ferguson.

“In the second half, some of our players were just plain knackered and, against a good team like Chelsea, you get punished for carelessness.

“We got out of jail and now we have a second chance, for which we will hopefully be in a better state.”

Manchester United travel to Chelsea for the replay of their quarter-final clash at Stamford Bridge on Monday.