LOUIS SAHA believes Everton deserved to have taken a step closer to a Wembley return after their FA Cup route was blocked by Chelsea.

Saha had seemingly set David Moyes’s side on the way to the fifth round with his 62nd-minute strike against the Cup holders at Goodison on Saturday before substitute Salomon Kalou earned the visitors a replay 13 minutes later.

The French forward’s goal was his seventh in eight games against Londoners, but the 32-year-old admits he would have gladly exchanged the strike for progress to the last 16 of the competition.

“It’s a nice record to have but I would prefer to get three points or go through in the Cup,” said Saha.

“There have been a few games against the top sides when we have put in a great performance but not got the result we deserved and we did that again.

“We created chance after chance in the second half, took it to them, so it’s hard to take losing a goal on a counter-attack.”

While having now won only one of the last 27 meetings with Chelsea, Everton have lost just once in 10 games against the Premier League’s current top seven in all competitions this season.