Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has spoken out after the Romelu Lukaku shoulder barge that sent him careering off the pitch during the 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
The Spanish defender crashed into United's club photographer of 25 years to ironic cheers around Old Trafford after a challenge with Lukaku, but emerged relatively unscathed and played on without injury.
And he says he harbours no hard feelings towards the Belgian striker, despite the very public clash between the two, joking that the photographer helped cushion his fall.
"I was okay, maybe I was lucky I had the photographer just in front of me," he said. "I was going straight to the wall.
"It’s a fight, it’s a fight, we knew they are a very physical team. ‘Physicality is part of football, the battles, I’m happy for it."
Manchester United have signs of hope if Solskjaer can fix their biggest problem benefited Chelsea more than United, with Maurizio Sarri's team now two points clear of Arsenal in fourth and three ahead of United going into the final two games of the season. They appear in pole position to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League.
Azpilicueta added: "We didn't start well (against United). We conceded that early goal and it put us in difficulty.
"But the team stayed in the game. It was important not to concede quick goals like we did against Liverpool."
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