Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has been impressed by Cesc Fabregas' impact at Chelsea this season.

All of which is a far cry from back in 2007 when the then-Blackburn boss and young Arsenal midfielder clashed after a particularly fierce FA Cup showdown.

Hughes said: "Cesc Fabregas is a player that I have a great deal of respect for. He's been a top player for a long, long time now.

"Yes, we had a little set-to one year but ever since then I have been really impressed by his behaviour.

"I did park the bus there that day because I had no strikers fit and available to me.

"I really didn't have any choice but he wasn't happy at all. Later on, though, he came up and apologised for what he'd said to me. That showed his class."