Mata: Facing Leeds and their fans at Elland Road was tough

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Chelsea’s Juan Mata admitted his side found it tough playing Leeds in the cauldron of Elland Road.

The atmosphere was electric – not least because of the long-standing rivalry between the two clubs – and Leeds led at half-time through Luciano Becchio’s opener.

Chelsea stormed back to win 5-1 and take their place in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup.

But Mata told Sky Sports: “It is tough to play against a team like Leeds. It is a difficult stadium to play in and they have a physical team.”

Blues midfielder Frank Lampard added: “We upped it in the second half. We were slow in the first but when we played with pace, you could see the difference.

“We had a word with ourselves at half time and the early goal gave us an impetus to go on and win it.

“Every trophy is a big deal for us, when we look back after our careers finish, we will look back on all our trips to Wembley.”

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