Chelsea's Ramires secures FA Cup replay as Manchester United blow lead

FA Cup

Manchester United        2              Hernández 5, Rooney 11

Chelsea                           2              Hazard 59, Ramires 68

 Chelsea's Ramires, right, equalises past Manchester United's David De Gea to secure a 2-2 draw in their FA Cup    quarter-final.

BLUE-FINGERED SALUTE ... Ramires celebrates his leveller

EDEN HAZARD and Ramires ruined Wayne Rooney's goalscoring return as Chelsea's stylish comeback earned an FA Cup replay neither side wanted.

Javier Hernandez and recalled Rooney struck top-class goals inside the first 11 minutes to confirm Manchester United's early control.

But, despite some more decent home chances, the Blues' fluent response offered hope of a second-half revival that they conjured impressively.

Hazard curved a 59th minute goal from nothing at the peak of the Blues' revival.

Then Ramires' left-foot finished off a precision break with the visitors' leveller eight minutes later.

The replay winners face Manchester City - but Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez declined to think of that semi-final cracker ahead of the replay.

Yet Juan Mata was only denied a neat last-minute winner by United keeper David de Gea's fingertip save after the outstanding Chelsea playmaker had weaved to the fringe of the six-yard box.

And there was still time for Blues substitute Fernando Torres to go almost as close.

That just underlined how Benitez's clutch of replacements - despite derision from some travelling fans - had transformed the contest after the break.

Key man Mata admitted to being both proud of the Blues' display and disappointed with the result.

IN ROO GO ... Wayne Rooney slots Man Utd 2-0 up

He said: "We were playing in a stadium like Old Trafford and it was Man United, so it could be a good result.

"But in the second half we had so many chances to score. De Gea was good, saving some of them.