Evra Eyeing Revenge Mission In Moscow

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra insists the Champions League final against Chelsea will be an entirely different game than the recent league encounter between the two sides...

The Blues emerged victorious at Stamford Bridge in a fairly pivotal game that put the title race right on a knife-edge. The two sides were level on points - United leading only on goal difference - and it remained that way until the final day, when Chelsea threw away their lead against Bolton Wanderers in the dying minutes, knowing the league was beyond them as United were ahead at Wigan Athletic.

Chelsea won the battle, but United the war, and there was something of a combination of the two after the game itself. A brawl erupted on the field between ground staff and United substitutes who were warming down. A subsequent investigation has revealed that the Red Devils were asked not to run in the area while the grass was being cut, to which they refused.

It is then alleged that Evra received racial abuse, which provoked him to race across the pitch toward the offending ground staff, as the two groups had to be separated by stewards not once, but twice.

"Everybody was little bit angry - when you lose a game you're always angry," recalled Evra.

"But I don't want to talk about what happened afterwards. The club has said everything about it."

Indeed, United have filed a report and the verdict is yet to be heard. It is unlikely any racial abuse will be proven, though both parties will most likely face punishment for their conduct.

Looking forward to Moscow, Evra insists that the Stamford Bridge defeat is out of the players' minds, as they since edged Chelsea to the title and, notably, there were some key players rested in that league clash.

The flying full-back is particularly eager to win after suffering a resounding defeat with Monaco in the 2004 final, against Jose Mourinho's Porto. "I want only to think about the final. It's very important to me because I lost one with Monaco four years ago," he explained. In a sense we have forgotten all about losing at Chelsea because straight afterwards we beat Barcelona, then we went on to win the title. At Stamford Bridge, a lot of players were rested. The final in Moscow will be a completely different game."

source: Brian O'Ryan, Goal.com