Carrick Relishes Bridge Replay

Despite the mixed emotions of United's FA Cup quarter-final draw with Chelsea, Michael Carrick insists the Reds are ready to overcome the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

The England midfielder shone as United forged ahead early on, only for Rafael Benitez's side to roar back after the break and set up a replay for the right to reach Wembley.

"Of course we'll go there positive because it's in our nature," Carrick told MUTV. "We go there believing we can win. It's a tough place to go because they're a good team, but it's a one-off and the FA Cup can throw up some classic games. Hopefully we'll be on the right end of it next time."

Manchester City await the winners of the replay in next month's semi-final, completing a road to Wembley lined all the way by Premier League opposition, should the Reds progress past Chelsea. Nevertheless, Carrick is unperturbed by the rough route United have taken so far in this season's competition, conceding: "That's the way it is.

"If we'd beaten Chelsea then we'd have to play City in the final or the semi-final, so it's just the nature of the competition: you've got to beat everyone and that's what's ahead of us."

The manner of Chelsea's fightback at Old Trafford left United clinging on, and Carrick admitted that a replay is by no means the worst outcome for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

"We've mixed emotions in some respects," he said. "We're completely disappointed, from the position we were in, not to finish it off - there are no excuses for that - but at the end we could be out of the competition with the opportunities they had, especially the save David made from Mata.

"David has stepped up there at a big time in the tie and kept us in it. We can be very thankful for that because we could have been out of the cup. It just shows his quality. When you need him, he's there. We're taking the positives, really: we're still in the cup, we've got another chance at it so we move on."