Wenger: 'This defeat is difficult to take'

"Alex won PSV the tie alone, which is only a bit of an exaggeration. He kept their defence very tight and saved them every time. He made the difference at set-pieces and dominated our players in the air easily.

"Chelsea have the money to buy the best players - that's not new information. I don't know the rules and I don't think he's the only player Chelsea own like that."

"This defeat is difficult to take and it's a massive disappointment. We feel it's a cruel night because we had chances to score the second goal. We could not take the chances we made in both halves.

"This was a repetition of the first leg and we were less sharp than two or three weeks ago because all the games are catching up with us.

"I don't feel we failed in the Carling Cup. We're out of the FA and that was a big disappointment, but is minor compared to tonight. Now we have to secure a place in the Champions League because we have a responsibility to finish as high as we can and try to overtake Liverpool.

"There are a lot of positives to take but the two weeks have been horrendous."