Blues deserved replay - Lampard

Frank Lampard believes Chelsea deserved their FA Cup quarter-final replay with Arsenal following tonight’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Highbury.

Francis Jeffers and Thierry Henry gave the Gunners a 2-1 interval lead after John Terry had headed the Blues into an early lead.

But midfielder Lampard scrambled an equaliser six minutes from time in an action-packed game to set up a replay at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, March 25.

And the England midfielder admitted afterwards on BBC1: “I think we started well but Arsenal could have scored more in the first half.

“We were devastated at half time but we came back and I think we deserved the draw with the character we showed.”

Arsenal squandered a first half penalty when Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini saved Henry’s spot-kick, after referee Paul Durkin ruled David Seaman had brought own Francis Jeffers.

Lampard said: “I haven’t spoken to Carlo yet and I was too far away to see properly. All I saw was he (Jeffers) touched it and went down.

“Some of those are given and some aren’t – hopefully we’ll get one in the replay.”