Terry: Relief to see Rooney in midfield for Man Utd than attack

Do you think this could be one of the reasons Man Utd lost? Especially giving that Rooney has played better for Man Utd as a striker?

John Terry admits that Chelsea were "relieved" after finding out that Wayne Rooney would be playing in midfield for Manchester United on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho's side edged closer to the Premier League title after Eden Hazard's first-half strike sealed a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

But injuries to Michael Carrick and Daley Blind forced Louis van Gaal to play Rooney in a deeper role behind Radamel Falcao and Terry believes that the Dutchman's team selection played into Chelsea's hands.

"He's a world-class player so we were relieved to see him in midfield," Terry told Sky Sports.

"He's a phenomenal player and such a threat in that role behind the striker so to see him in midfield was good for us actually."

Rooney himself, however, feels that his side put in a strong performance despite the defeat.

"I thought [the performance] was excellent, we dominated from start to finish," he told MUTV. "We created some good chances but, unfortunately, didn't take any of them. I felt that, if we got a goal, even with five minutes to go, we would have gone on to win.

"I think we can take great confidence from this result as I’ve rarely seen a team come to Stamford Bridge and dominate so much ... all that was missing was a goal. On another day we could have scored two or three goals but it wasn't to be. We have to move on now and look forward to facing Everton next weekend."