Blue Armour

I know, they are an extreme case, but that doesn't mean we have to be the polar opposite. Costa is far from below average when coming to heading and height is NOT an excuse. The lad is only an inch shorter than Terry and Drogba. And I'm not just talking about high crosses, I'm talking about low ones, cutbacks, et al.

I don't know if he was operating under some instructions to keep pushing through the middle...never seemed to make an attempt to beat the wide man and put in a cross. In fact, I recall only 1 cross from him the entire game (which led to a corner). Also, I don't know why we never attempt to do something basic, like push out wide and swing in a cross. Now we have a player that can do it and he just tries to exchange passes through the middle. Whereas teams like United keep swinging in crosses like mad.

More and more I feel that red card was a symptom of this bullshit age of political correctness we live in.. Matic nearly getting his ankle snapped doesn't matter, but him pushing Barnes to the floor warrants a red card because it was viewed by many and sets a bad example to kids.. And I won't be surprised if the FA show their hypocrisy in the matter... "Technically" Matic did commit a breach of conduct..but they had no trouble throwing technicalities out of the window when it came to Costa 'stepping on' the legs of Liverpool players

I swear the clown received instructions through his headset to wave off the first penalty appeal.

I'm sure he would be disappointed, but he's intelligent to know that there's always going to be a vocal minority. He's not naive

Stupid in hindsight, but it was a gamble nonetheless..and I believe he mentioned this before the game. There are quite a few weeks until the next leg, for the non-performers of this one to pick up their form.

Fact: Racism doesn't depend on the color of your football jersey. There's a headline for the tabloids

"....its time to stop the madness" Exactly, Neil Ashton. Shut the f**k up. Its as simple as that.

I don't think he needs to show anything. He did fine against United at Old Trafford, and well against Tottenham essentially setting up the win for us. He's 37. These kind of games like against Villa will come, and everytime he starts its a bit of a gamble. But Mourinho should know when its most appropriate to take that gamble, and that's what I think he's doing.

He hasn't really been "back" for a while now, and Simeone knows it. That's he why doesn't start him all the time, and isn't unafraid to hook him at half time. The fact is, Torres is playing decent and under no pressure, thus making him a good backup to Mandzukic

Terry is different from Cahill/Zouma in terms of experience and motivation, and plus he's needed for organization...And even his sharpness can get affected albeit to a lesser extent. There have been a few games this season where even he hasn't been at his best. But the difference is Mourinho doesn't have convey to Terry to always be on his toes, because he expects him to be always doing that. He will still need to make sure he gets that message across to Zouma/Cahill

Really? I hope he keeps juggling between the 2 CB's as and when he can,.. in that way that neither CB becomes complacent and loses their sharpness. This is the mistake that happened with Cahill earlier in the season.

Throughout the match, was begging for the full-backs to push forward more...and in the second half, lo, Azpi and Ivanovic combine for the winning goal

Lool...Costa on a high there!

Personally, I would compare Cuadrado more to Nani than Willian. And I mean Nani on a good day, of course. More of a pure winger, and one that's also comfortable with taking a shot.

Who can you do an impression of best? Arsene Wenger!!

Nothing surprising, just unfortunate that the match came right when Schurrle and Salah were leaving. You look at the bench, and apart from Drogba there was no one to come and inject life into our game. We had no choice but to go conservative by bringing on Cahill.

Where's the mythbusters team when you need it? But seriously, his passing and decision making in general has improved a lot this season. His crosses may still be a bit hit and miss though, but there are not too many who can say otherwise..

FAR from it. And I'm not just saying that because of the chip he scored against Barca.

Just saw the highlights...what shitty marking for the last two goals. Can't believe Azpilicueta was also involved in both of them...Leaving a player unmarked in penalty box, and beaten for the cross that lead to the next..totally unlike the team to defend that way, and sparks memories of the Spurs game were everything went to pot, with opposition making the most with beautiful finishes. Their first goal was some fantastic shot.

I think a lot of them are still feeling delirious with City and Spurs also getting knocked out at home in similar fashion

Had a question for the fans here..why is the FA cup valued so much more than the League Cup? Granted, its the oldest cup competition but their tournament format is so similar..

Well done. Although he and the team will have to take a hard look at themselves. Going out of a cup competition was not surprising for me this season, given the gap in performance level of the first 11 and the second string. But losing badly against a league one side at home was definitely not on my mind.

I haven't seen too many outfield players adjust their game so well to continue playing at top level at that age..