FA decide against player action

The English FA have confirmed there will be "no formal disciplinary action" against any players involved in restraining a pitch invader during Chelsea's FA Cup quarter final replay win at Tottenham.

The FA have studied video footage of the incident in Monday's White Hart Lane clash, where two supporters entered the field of play, one from each club, sparking a post-match fracas.

An FA spokesman said: "We have looked at all the available video footage and there will be no formal disciplinary action against any players."

The governing body had already spoken to Tottenham and obtained video footage from various outlets, including BBC and Sky, which showed players restraining a Spurs fan who aimed a punch at Frank Lampard as the Chelsea players celebrated their win.

Timothy Smith, the 18-year-old Tottenham supporter, is set to appear at Haringey Magistrates next week after being charged with encroaching onto the pitch while Byron Wilkinson, the Chelsea fan who also ran onto the pitch after the game, was cautioned by police.

Meanwhile, Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho admits he has been left frustrated by the decision to reschedule their potential title showdown with Manchester United.

Chelsea, who are currently six points adrift of United at the top of the Premiership, were due to meet them at Stamford Bridge on April 15th, but as both teams reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, the game will now take place on May 9th.

However, United's lead is such that Alex Ferguson's side could have wrapped up their first title in four years by then.

Mourinho said: "What can I do? I cannot lose a game to play Manchester United earlier in the season. Everything in this league went against us from the beginning - injuries, decisions and fixtures.

"We played a Carling Cup final and had to play one game in hand afterwards and now we have the United game, which we want to play now, later on.

"We also have to play West Ham away and Newcastle away in the same week because of the congestion in the fixtures."

Meanwhile Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko has hailed his superb strike against Spurs as "one of the best of my career".

The goal put Chelsea on the way to a victory over their London rivals and was later sealed by a rare strike from Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Shevchenko arrived at Chelsea having netted a combined 267 times for his previous clubs - but he rates his 13th goal for Chelsea as among the best.

Shevchenko said: "I think it is one of the best I have scored in my career. I feel very much better now. It was a very good game and in the second half, the team played very well.

"For my career, it is important to win trophies like this. The cup in England is very important and different from Italy.

"I played in the old Wembley. It was a special stadium with a great atmosphere. I played two times, one with Dynamo Kiev against Arsenal and the other with the national team. To be in the first final in the new stadium would be a special moment."