Diego Costa told Chelsea he didn't bite an Everton opponent in a confrontation that led to the fiery striker being sent off on Saturday as his team was knocked out of the FA Cup.

Chelsea had just been humiliated by former striker Romelu Lukaku scoring twice in a five-minute span, including a breathtaking solo goal, when Costa was sent off in the 84th minute of Everton's 2-0 win in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Reacting to a challenge from Gareth Barry, Costa thrust his head at the Everton midfielder before appearing to sink his teeth toward Barry's neck in a biting motion. Having already been shown a yellow card for a 10th-minute foul on Barry, Costa was dismissed for the first time in two seasons at Chelsea after being booked again.

There was no immediate reaction from Barry to suggest he had been bitten. More than four hours after the incident, Chelsea insisted there was no bite.

"Diego spoke to club officials after the game and expressed regret over his reaction to the challenge from Gareth Barry that led to his red card," Chelsea said late Saturday on Twitter. "But Diego was also very clear that he did not bite him at any point during that altercation."

Everton also ended with 10 men after Barry himself was shown a second yellow card three minutes later for catching Cesc Fabregas.

"Diego Costa had a fighting spirit and I would like to praise the referee (Michael Oliver)," Everton manager Roberto Martinez said. "The sending off of Costa was right.

"The sending off of Gareth Barry was right and the referee never allowed those emotions to stop the fluency. Whatever happens with Diego Costa I am sure the two players shook it off."

The FA Cup exit followed Chelsea being eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Any hopes of defending the Premier League trophy were extinguished long ago, with Chelsea currently 10th with nine games remaining and highly likely to miss out on European football next season.