Eden Hazard: Chelsea were ‘frightened’ of Man City at Wembley
Eden Hazard claims that Chelsea were "frightened" and showed Manchester City "too much respect" after FA Cup defeat
Eden Hazard believes Chelsea paid the price for being “frightened” of their opponents in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
Goals from Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero sent the holders crashing out despite Demba Ba’s second-half goal, as City booked their place in next month’s showpiece against Wigan Athletic.
And Hazard, who played the full 90 minutes at Wembley, believes Rafael Benitez’s men showed the Citizens “too much respect”.
“We were frightened of City in the first half,” said the 22-year-old Chelsea playmaker, who has made 26 Premier League starts this season since joining from Lille last summer.
“We showed them too much respect, and paid the price. Maybe we might have deserved a different fate, but we started the game badly.
“We played the final 40 minutes, but that is not enough to beat City.
“We had chances, and we believed we could do something, but their keeper made some good saves.”
Chelsea travel to Fulham on Wednesday night looking to consolidate their push for Champions League qualification.
