Didier Drogba says he couldn't consider quitting Chelsea after their Champions League heartbreak. Drogba, who capped a miserable night in Moscow when he was sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidic, said: "The truth is that I still have not digested that defeat [on penalties to United].

"Personally, it has been all the harder because I know I had my best Champions League season ever.

"Chelsea generally had such a strong season but what I will remember, above all, is that I got so close to touching that trophy but didn't get to lift it.

"All of this was a big influence on me during the summer.

"I've always admitted that Serie A is a championship which interests me, even though I'm under contract to Chelsea until 2010. However, the most important factor was losing the Champions League Final.

"That has left me with a feeling that my team-mates and I need to pull together again and give everything to win this tournament.

"I'm still at Chelsea because I feel the stimulus of new challenges and I'm determined to win things.

"Last season was my first at Chelsea when the club didn't win a trophy and no way could I leave under those circumstances."