chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo said his team's 5-4 League Cup victory over Manchester United suggested they would have done the same three days ago if it hadn't been for refereeing decisions.
The nine-man Blues lost 3-2 to United on Sunday, with Javier Hernandez's winner coming from an offside position.
"It's not been the easiest few days we have had," Di Matteo told BBC Sport.
"We wanted to show tonight that Sunday's game was really heavily influenced by the officials."
The Chelsea manager added: "Sunday's defeat was a really strange one because I don't think we would have lost if the official didn't make those mistakes."
Di Matteo was furious with referee Mark Clattenburg on Sunday after he booked Fernando Torres for diving, leading to the Spanish striker's dismissal.
Clattenburg has since been accused of allegedly using "inappropriate language" towards Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel.
But Di Matteo had only one complaint with the referee in this Capital One Cup tie - Lee Mason waved away a Juan Mata penalty claim.
Other than that, the official handled the game in a distinguished manner despite several big decisions.
He rightly awarded three penalties in a thrilling contest and his assistant correctly judged Gary Cahill's header to have crossed the line.
Mason also calmly and decisively broke up a scuffle between Oscar and Nani, awarding yellow cards to both players.
Chelsea, who now face Leeds in the quarter-finals, twice came from behind with David Luiz scoring from the spot either side of goals from Ryan Giggs and Javier Hernandez.
Cahill made it 2-2 and it looked like Nani's finish would win it before Eden Hazard's injury-time penalty took the game to extra-time. Daniel Sturridge and Ramires then made it 5-3 with Ryan Giggs adding another spot kick in added time.
"We deservedly won the game," Di Matteo added. "We had so many chances and we had to come back so many times as well and we showed great character to do so.
"We are trying to play differently but we all like to win as well. We are playing very well and sometimes you make a step back to do one forwards.
"It was a typical cup game because of all the young players in the team, and we had to chase the game. It was a bit more open than usual."
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said his team let slip a great chance to progress and admitted they paid for fielding a young back line.
Centre-back Scott Wootton, 21, was culpable for Hazard's injury-time penalty to make it 3-3, when he bundled over Ramires, and the youngster also misjudged a header in extra-time leading to Sturridge's strike.
"We have done fantastically well and I think we have thrown the game away really," Ferguson told BBC Sport. "With the game finished, we had possession of the ball around about the corner flag and Nani decides to beat a player and we've lost a penalty kick.
"We didn't deserve it but in extra-time I think they found it too much in terms of the young players.
"You can always play young forwards because they don't cost you the game but young centre-backs have to be really top drawer at this level of football and they were just too young.
"Wootton is 21 years of age, Michael Keane is 19 years of age, obviously they will learn. It's a sore lesson from them in that respect - getting knocked out of the cup.
Ferguson added: "We have good options in attack, but obviously losing five goals in a game of football, then you have to worried about that."
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