Proud Grant praises team and tearful skipper Terry

Chelsea manager Avram Grant praised his team and especially his distraught skipper John Terry after their agonising Champions League penalty shootout defeat by Manchester United on Wednesday.

"I am very proud of my team and what we have done this season and I have told them that," he said at a news conference following a 6-5 defeat on penalties after the final ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time. "We were the better team tonight and we should have won, but still I think we have had a terrific season."

Terry slipped as he took the penalty that would have won the trophy for Chelsea had he scored. Instead, his shot went wide via a post, the scores remained level at 4-4 in the shootout and United recovered to triumph when substitute Nicolas Anelka's penalty was later saved by Edwin van der Sar to secure victory.

Grant, though, was full of praise for Chelsea's talismanic captain who sobbed on his shoulder after the defeat.

VERY SAD

"He is very sad and has cried but he is the main reason we are here," said the Israeli. "This was not a normal season for Chelsea but he was there whenever we needed him. He took the last penalty, he is a great player, a great captain and was fantastic today." Terry might not have been called on to take a spot kick if striker Didier Drogba had not been red carded in extra time and therefore off the field for the shootout.

Grant quickly deflected that idea.

Asked if Drogba would have taken a penalty and not Terry he replied tersely: "He was not on the field". Grant took control of Chelsea in September after previous coach Jose Mourinho left the club and he guided them to second place in the Premier League behind United.

As well as losing in the Champions League final, their first appearance in Europe's premier competition, they also lost in the League Cup final to Tottenham Hotspur but Grant maintained the club had improved since Mourinho left.

"I think it has been a terrific season and everyone at Chelsea can be very optimistic about the future." Grant's future has been the subject of intense speculation for months but he would not be drawn on that subject.

"I am not thinking about that," he said. "All I do know is that I will not be very happy for the next few days at least."