Chelsea attacker Juan Mata has praised his fellow Spaniard David de Gea after the Manchester United goalkeeper pulled off a late save to deny him a goal during yesterday's 2-2 draw in the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.

The Blues had battled back from a two-goal deficit against the league leaders and would have advanced through to the semi-finals had De Gea not stuck out his foot to turn away Mata's curling effort from close range.

"That touch from De Gea's foot. I could almost see the ball inside the goal, but David stopped it. What a save! Soon afterwards the match finished, leaving us with a bittersweet feeling," Mata wrote on his blog page.

"Our performance was commendable after trailing 2-0, but at the same time we were so close to winning the match. From a spectator's point of view I think it was a great football game. On the pitch, I can say it was very intense and, especially in the second half, I really enjoyed it."

As a result, the two teams will now meet again at Stamford Bridge, with the victor to face Manchester City in the last four.