Given Reflects on Chelsea Game

By Matthew Jones
April 26 2004

Shay Given put in another excellent performance at home to Chelsea at the weekend, as the Magpies' defeated Chelsea 2-1 after going a goal down. Given made a fantastic save from a Gudjohnsen header...

Shay made a super save during the game, and reflected:

"I remember the cross coming in and starting to move for it.

"Gudjohnsen got his head to the ball to send it back the other way but I managed to take off and get a hand to it and Jonathan Woodgate mopped it up.

"People say big saves can be turning points. I don't know about that but it was definitely important as it helped us go on to get he three points so it was a big save."

Chelsea's John Terry hit the post with an injury-time effort, and Given feels that maybe it deserves MOTM (the post that is!) He added:

"You could say the post has played superbly for us in the last four days – maybe we should give it a man of the match award?

"We got that little bit of luck on Thursday when Drogba hit the post, and I thought we deserved a bit of luck against Chelsea as well after the huge effort we put in.

"An equaliser would have been a real kick in the teeth.

"We knew before the game that we had to win after the way the results went on Saturday.

"We hadn't expected Liverpool to get three points at Old Trafford, we reckoned on a draw at best, and then Villa won late on against Middlesbrough so they were good results for them but bad ones for us.

"But we've always known that our destiny is in our own hands and we just have to concentrate on our own results."

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