'I got away with Evra foul', admits Michael Ballack

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Sir Alex Ferguson confronted referee Chris Foy at the final whistle at Wembley yesterday adamant the German should have been sent off.

"With a replay you can see Ballack has elbowed the boy and if the referee had seen it properly, it is a red card," raged Ferguson.

Ballack admitted he was lucky to get away with his ugly challenge on the defender and said: "I have to be happy that the referee didn't blow because maybe I blocked him a little bit.

"If the referee gives a foul it would have been okay as well, but he decided not to.

"It was a bit unlucky after that because they conceded the goal.

"I kept on playing but then I didn't have the ball so I couldn't see how injured he was."

Ferguson also claimed that Foy should have stopped play when Evra went down - as the referee had done when Ballack was injured moments earlier, but Frank Lampard told the United they should have no complaints.

Lampard, who struck to put his team 2-1 ahead with Evra on the turf, said: "Anyone should look at the rules.

"It's up to the referee to stop it but United just stopped when their man was down. It's in the rules, when the referee stops it he stops it.

"We carried on and I'm sure United would have done the same in that position."

Asked if he felt he should have kicked the ball out rather than trying to score, he added: "I don't think any player would, you're entitled to shoot.

"That's what United did in the first half, but the referee stopped them and when Ballack went down in the second half they were complaining that they couldn't carry on."

Chelsea won the penalty shoot-out 4-1 after Wayne Rooney's late goal made the score 2-2 after 90 minutes.