Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante says his side fought hard to beat a ‘tough’ Manchester United side to book their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

The Blues secured a 1-0 victory over the Red Devils in the quarter-finals at Stamford Bridge through a goal by French midfielder N’Golo Kante.

The 25-year-old says he was delighted to have scored the winning goal that booked his side’s place in the next round of the competition but he admits that United made it difficult for them throughout the match.

‘I’m happy to score again,’ Kante told the Chelsea website.

‘It was important for the next round. I’m happy for the win, and for the fans, it was a very beautiful win.

‘It was difficult. Manchester are a good team and it was a tough game. I think after [Ander] Herrera was sent off it was more easy.’

Meanwhile, captain Gary Cahil echoed his teammate’s words regarding the red card and he believes that United committed ‘silly fouls leading up to the red card after being reprimanded by the match official.

‘That turned it slightly in our favour. There were a few fouls leading up to that, so maybe it was slightly silly to go in and make the foul again,’ Cahil said.

‘We felt Eddie was getting harassed out there early on. There were many fouls, no dangerous ones but niggly ones.

‘We dug in and gave a good account of ourselves. I thought it was a professional performance from us. We controlled the game when we needed to, and job done, we’re through.’

Chelsea will now turn their attention back to the Premier League when they take on Stoke City on Saturday.

The match at the Britania Stadium kicks off at 17:00.