MX23RW : Monday, January 6 23:54:55| >> :120:4610:4610:

Roberto Di Matteo revels in 'crucial' win

Di Matteo revels in 'crucial' win
© PA Photos
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo hails his side's "crucial" 3-2 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has described his side's 3-2 Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk as "crucial".

The Blues grabbed a late winner through Victor Moses to put their campaign back on track, and the Italian now believes that Group E will go to the wire.

"We've got a crucial three points. It was crucial for us to win this tough home game. They are a very good side. Now it's probably going to go down to the last kick of the last game in this group," BBC Sport quotes him as saying.

"The spirit that my group showed again to keep going to the end - we knew we had to score at the end and we did so. It was good that Victor Moses got on the end of that corner."

Di Matteo went on to hail his side's performance, singling out Oscar and John Terry for praise.

"In the first half we put them under pressure which is how we scored both goals. We knew what kind of pressure we'd be under and we didn't want to expose ourselves too much. We knew we could score with the last kick, and that is exactly what happened," he added.

"Oscar has tremendous ability and his goal wasn't easy at all. It was a half-volley, very difficult, but he is a Brazilian international.

John Terry is a massive player for us and we're glad he's back and available for us. He is going to be our leader going forward."

The win moves Chelsea into second in Group E, level on points with leaders Shakhtar.

ID:53697: cacheID:53697:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2820:
Written by
Mark Langshaw
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Fernando Torres celebrates scoring for Chelsea
Read Next:
Chelsea leave it late to beat Shakhtar
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!