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The Times

Andres Iniesta's strike denies Chelsea place in Champions League final

Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1 (agg 1-1, Barcelona win on away goals)
Oliver Kay, Football Correspondent

The anguished expressions of John Terry and his team-mates at the end were familiar, but this time, rather than a game of Russian roulette in Moscow or a phantom goal on Merseyside, Chelsea’s European dreams were ended by the cruellest twist in the final moments of this dramatic tale as Andrés Iniesta sent Barcelona to Rome with a spectacular goal in the third minute of stoppage time.
It was always going to take something remarkable to earn Chelsea sympathy if they were beaten to a place in the Champions League final by the aesthetes of Barcelona, but that is how it transpired on an extraordinary evening when they were left bitterly claiming a conspiracy after no fewer than six penalty appeals, which ranged from the flimsy to the cast-iron, were dismissed by Tom Henning Ovrebo, the calamitously unimpressive Norwegian referee.

Much of that sympathy will have been eroded by the furious reactions of Didier Drogba, in particular, and Michael Ballack as they remonstrated with Ovrebo at the final whistle. They went too far in expressing their grievances, of which they have not heard the last, but a sense of injustice was inevitable after Chelsea had done everything right over the course of the tie, working feverishly, keeping their tactical discipline and taking the lead through Michael Essien’s memorable ninth-minute volley, only to find their efforts undone by the referee and by Iniesta’s late, late goal.

Barcelona had dominated in terms of possession, but Iniesta’s effort, which followed a costly error by Essien, was, incredibly, their first shot on target. Pep Guardiola’s team had shown that they had substance to fortify their style, refusing to accept defeat even after being left to play the final quarter of the game a man short when Éric Abidal was sent off for a perceived professional foul on Nicolas Anelka. Until Iniesta struck, though, Barcelona seemed destined to leave London with regrets, not recriminations. Chelsea’s regrets will centre around Ovrebo’s performance, which Guus Hiddink, not one for hyperbole, called the worst that he had witnessed in his long career, but it should also be noted that Barcelona were wrongly denied a penalty in the first leg.

When the dust settles, Chelsea might also rue their failure or unwillingness to exploit their numerical advantage after Abidal was sent off in the 66th minute. Almost inexplicably, they retreated.

Hiddink deserves great credit for the way he has restored the sense of tactical discipline and work ethic that had been lost from this Chelsea team until his arrival in February, but his decision to remove Drogba with 18 minutes remaining was hard to fathom. His bustling style had unsettled the youngsters at the heart of a makeshift defence, and, even if he had begun to revert to some of his unappealing histrionics in the previous moments, perhaps even misleading Hiddink by feigning injury, his departure was a turning point.

Until then, it was all Chelsea. Not in terms of possession, of course, but in terms of the number of chances created. They had taken the lead when Essien beat Víctor Valdés with a superb left-volley that crashed in off the crossbar from 25 yards, and, by the time the game entered its closing stages, it seemed that the relentless industry of Essien, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda had won the day, along with their adherence to a game plan that had neutralised Iniesta, Xavi Hernández, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and the rest.

Far too much of the visiting team’s best football was played in areas where they could not begin to hurt Chelsea. Messi threatened only twice before the interval, beating Ashley Cole, first on the inside then on the outside, but on both occasions his crosses were disappointing.

This contrasted with the action at the other end, where Lampard, with a succession of clever dinked passes into the area between or behind Barcelona’s central defenders, was posing a persistent threat.

From one such pass, in the 23rd minute, Drogba ran clear only to be thwarted at the last moment by a hesitant Valdés. From another, four minutes later, Drogba got behind Abidal and fell, albeit theatrically, after a slight trip, but Ovrebo refused to give a penalty, just as he had when he preferred to award a free kick after Malouda was brought down by Daniel Alves just inside the box. Two unsuccessful penalty appeals Chelsea could tolerate, at least while they were leading, but their agitation grew in the second half as Ovrebo continued to give them short shrift. The next two were less sound, as Yaya Touré stayed just within the laws with two excellent tackles to nick the ball off the feet of Drogba, then Anelka. Less understandable was Ovrebo’s intransigence when Gerard Piqué blocked Anelka’s flick with a hand, which, intentionally or not, was raised away from his body.

None of this would have mattered had Drogba not shot straight at the legs of Valdés but, after Abidal’s red card, Chelsea sat back and paid the price. Essien’s slip allowed Eto’o and then Messi to set up Iniesta for a shot that faded away from Petr Cech at the last moment.

Even then there was time for another penalty appeal, Ballack’s shot hitting the outstretched arm of Eto’o, leaving Chelsea to wonder if they will ever lift the European Cup. Terry and his team-mates are not getting any younger and there could come a point when they wonder if it is just not meant to be.

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1: Match report

Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1 (agg 1-1): Match report from the Champions League semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge.

By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge

The bitterest of bile could be the only taste in Chelsea mouths on Wednesday night. A poor performance by the Norwegian referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo, who failed to award Chelsea three penalties, cost Guus Hiddink’s side a place in the Champions League final and cost some of Hiddink’s players their composure.
Didier Drogba rounded on Ovrebo at the final whistle, accusing him of cheating Chelsea out of a place in the final that seemed theirs following Michael Essien’s early goal. Cruelly, Barcelona’s equaliser stemmed from a mistake by Essien, who lost possession to Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, arguably the player of the tie, did the rest with a magnificent 20-yarder.

Drogba’s reaction was disgraceful, showing what a poor loser he is in contrast to the dignified Hiddink. The heart went out to Hiddink and Chelsea, if not Drogba. They deserved enough last night to be in the final. Hiddink again showed his tactical nous, John Terry was the model of defensive mastery while Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard ran themselves into the ground. Football can be so cruel.

The second leg had begun as the first concluded, John Terry making important tackles, two in quick succession to frustrate Lionel Messi, but then Barcelona were reminded of the creative class in the blue ranks. Essien’s strike was so sensational, so dripping with technique that the visiting stylists from Catalonia would happily have claimed it as their own.

Barcelona were undone by a swift attack, Ashley Cole exploiting more poor positioning by Dani Alves, the attack-obsessed right-back who seems to believe defending is for lesser souls. Cole pushed on, slipping the ball down the inside-left channel towards Frank Lampard.

His shot struck Yaya Toure, rebounding out towards Essien. What a response! What a goal! As the ball dropped from the warm night sky, Essien caught it left footed on the volley, the ball arcing through the air, crashing off the underside of the bar and crossing the line: 81 minutes to go, could Chelsea hold on? Tension mounted, Chelsea knowing that one mistake gave Barcelona the away-goal edge.
Barcelona were momentarily stunned, Chelsea jubilant. This was not in the Catalans’ script. They had depicted themselves as the practitioners of the Beautiful Game, fighting the English heathens, meeting power with panache yet here they were trailing to one of the most glittering goals of the European season.
Such is Barcelona’s class that Chelsea knew they would have to endure an onslaught, sustained pressure as the ball moved sweetly between Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Andres Iniesta, who has assumed a more forward station in the absence of the injured Thierry Henry.

Terry had sought out Henry before kick-off, no mean feat as the former Arsenal player was well hidden under a large hat. Terry embraced Henry, commiserated him over his damaged knee, and then concentrated on frustrating Barcelona. Chelsea’s captain had anticipated "a cauldron’’ atmosphere greeting Barcelona and he was not disappointed. Terry had predicted "our tight pitch" cramping the style of a side who had destroyed Real Madrid at the weekend. Yet Barcelona still shimmered with menace, particularly when Messi was in charge.

It appeared that Hiddink had again done his homework well, setting up Chelsea to give numbers in midfield spiced with a counter-attacking threat. Essien and Michael Ballack anchored, allowing Anelka, Lampard and the busy Florent Malouda to flood upfield in support of Drogba.

Embodying Chelsea’s all-for-one ethos, Drogba twice came back to make important clearances. The Ivorian’s passport still says striker and he should have scored when twice through in the first half. Denied by Victor Valdes on the first occasion, Drogba went to ground on the second, indicating that Eric Abidal had been pulling his shirt. Play on. Drogba’s theatrical reputation went before him.
If Barcelona enjoyed more possession, Chelsea had the better chances. They should have had a penalty. Definitely. When the hapless Alves tried to learn the defensive trade on the trade, the Brazilian clearly clipped the heels of Malouda just inside the box.

Tom Henning Ovrebro, the Norwegian referee, detected that a misdemeanour had occurred but misjudged the crime scene, placing the ball fractionally outside the box. "We don’t get penalties now that Mourinho’s gone," shouted one anguished Chelsea fan.

His team, commendably, are always so keen to get on with the game. Drogba drilled in a stinging free-kick which caught Sergio Busquets, angling goalwards before Valdes reacted well to flick it to safety. The threat did not subside immediately. Lampard curled the ball over from the flag, Terry rose with most determination and timing but directed his header just wide.

Barcelona resumed their attacking adventures, Messi in particular swapping his central station for a more familiar right-sided role where he gave Ashley Cole constant problems. Without Henry, and with Samuel Eto’o well-controlled by Terry and Alex, Barcelona lacked a cutting edge, for all their creativity.
A nasty streak could be found amidst all the passing niceties. Alves went into the back of Ashley Cole and was deservedly cautioned. Seydou Keita’s aerial challenge on Lampard lacked malice but still did damage, the England international appearing to lose a tooth and returning to the fray with blood still staining his gums.

Frustration began to seep into the smartly-suited figure of Pep Guardiola, who was dressed like an Iberian version of James Bond but without 007’s sangfroid. Shaken and stirred, Guardiola almost went into meltdown when Chelsea should have added a second after 52 minutes. Anelka cut in from the left, eschewing the chance to go alone, instead electing to slip the ball right to Drogba. Chelsea’s No 11 wrongfooted Gerard Pique with a wonderful turn, and then firing goalwards. Valdes saved superbly, keeping Barcelona in contention.

Three minutes later, Drogba outmuscled Yaya Toure, burst into the box but the Barcelona centre-half rescued the situation with a good challenge. Drogba, being Drogba, was convinced it was a foul and a penalty. But he was putting in a marvellous shift of frontrunning work for the Chelsea cause, increasingly targeting Abidal.

Anelka also realised that the French left-back was vulnerable and ran at him purposefully with 25 minutes left. Abidal appeared to clutch a seam of Anelka’s shirt, but nothing to throw the striker off balance. Anelka ran a couple of paces and then fell to the floor, bringing derision from the Barcelona players and a red card for Abidal. Not known as a diver, Anelka’s reaction understandably angered the visitors.

Chelsea were then denied another penalty, as blatant as Alves’ first-half one, when Pique clearly handled as Anelka darted through. Barcelona mounted a late charge, climaxing in Iniesta’s astonishing strike deep into stoppage time. Ovrebo then denied Chelsea another hand-ball. Uefa has its dream final.

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Mail:

Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1

Agony at the death for Blues

By Matt Lawton

After this, Chelsea might just have to give the Champions League a miss next season.
They might swerve it, and instead remain at home, because of the way it tramples the soul, crushes the spirit and tears the heart from the chest. The way it shatters their dreams in the cruellest way imaginable.A year after coming within a penalty kick of lifting the European Cup in Moscow, they found themselves 60 seconds away from a second successive final against Manchester United when Andres Iniesta delivered a devastating blow. It was the fourth time in six years they had gone out in the semi-final in agonising circumstances, two defeats by Liverpool — through a ghost goal and then on penalties — and one by Monaco, when they gave up a winning position, fresh in their minds.
Their bags to Rome were packed last night and their manager was planning a long and glorious goodbye. The Olympic Stadium on the Wednesday. Wembley on the Saturday. What a way for Guus Hiddink to go out.But then came the sliced clearance from Michael Essien, the first decent ball of an otherwise frustrating night for Lionel Messi and Barcelona’s first shot on target. The effort was brilliant, and yet brutal, in its execution from a midfielder who had struggled to perform the role usually occupied by the injured Thierry Henry.Controversy followed, with Didier Drogba clashing with the Barcelona bench before turning his attention to referee Tom Henning Ovrebo when the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time was up.That the Norwegian booked him for his over-aggressive protest only added fuel to the flames, Chelsea’s striker spiralling out of control before delivering his four-letter verdict to a live television audience. He will incur the wrath of UEFA for that, even if television evidence proved Drogba had a case. Four times Chelsea had a decent claim for a penalty and four times Ovrebo refused to point to the spot.It was extraordinary. From the decision to award a free-kick outside the Barcelona penalty area when Daniel Alves dragged Florent Malouda down two yards inside to his failure to see how blatantly Eric Abidal pulled on Drogba’s shirt. From the sight of Gerard Pique blocking a shot from Nicolas Anelka with a hand to the moment when Samuel Eto’o raised his arms to deny Michael Ballack moments after Iniesta’s decisive goal.It meant another European encounter against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge descended into chaos and bitterness, with Chelsea again the losers of a tie they clearly thought they had sewn up.
Even if Barcelona enjoyed much of the possession, Chelsea deserved to go through for the way they controlled this second leg. They were magnificent until Iniesta’s goal. Drogba led the line until his legs could carry him no more; Frank Lampard and Essien, the scorer of Chelsea’s ninth-minute goal, were joined by Ballack in dominating midfield; John Terry and his defence were outstanding, with Alex continuing to battle even after a booking had ruled him out of the final.Driven by a desire to ease the misery of Moscow, Terry delivered a masterclass in defending — first to every header, strongest in every challenge, the rock of the back line. Credit should, of course, go to Barcelona, not least for securing their passage to Rome when they had to contest the last 25 minutes with only 10 men. If they had cause to complain to Ovrebo, it was for the dismissal of Abidal for a challenge on Anelka when he was almost certainly not the last man.
But even before then Hiddink appeared to have the measure of this Barcelona team and was making their young manager Pep Guardiola look like something of the rookie he is.After succeeding the floundering Luiz Felipe Scolari as Chelsea’s manager in February, Hiddink was about to give English football a repeat of last year’s final by stopping a team who had put six past Real Madrid last weekend from scoring over the course of 180 utterly absorbing Champions League minutes.It remained another exhibition of his tactical acumen, with the decision to deploy Essien in a more advanced role a masterstroke. Against Juventus, Liverpool and indeed Barcelona last week, Essien performed the role of midfield enforcer to devastating effect. He has been a destructive force, silencing Steven Gerrard and smothering members of a Barcelona side considered among the world’s most creative talents. But last night Hiddink wanted the power and energy Essien provides in a more forward role, and so asked him to swap places with the older, less mobile Ballack. The plan worked beautifully, and not just because Essien scored an audacious goal but because the imposing presence of Ballack offered protection to Chelsea’s back four.It worked so well that Guardiola and his team started rowing among themselves.
Essien’s goal was a peach, a volley struck from 22 yards which flew past Victor Valdes and crashed home off the underside of the bar.Valdes probably felt fairly secure when he saw Lampard’s pass spin into the air off Yaya Toure, but the man with a thousand nicknames had other ideas.
The Beast, The Train — last night they suddenly all seemed appropriate.Quite how Alves, eventually suspended for the final after picking up a yellow card for a foul on Ashley Cole, did not concede a penalty when he brought down Malouda will take some explaining.As will Ovrebo’s refusal to acknowledge that Abidal had indeed tugged Drogba’s shirt before the Chelsea striker collapsed to the ground.
As will the two other penalty decisions that might just leave Terry and his colleagues wondering if they can take any more of this.

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Independent:

Iniesta's rocket ruins Chelsea's Roman dreams
Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1
By Sam Wallace at Stamford Bridge

Roman Abramovich hurried across the Stamford Bridge turf after the final whistle like a man rushing to the scene of an accident, or rather a catastrophe, and goodness only knows what he found when he threw open the door of the home dressing room. Waiting there for him would have been the wreckage of Chelsea's Champions League dream for a sixth successive season, that makes it £679m spent and still no European Cup.
The fickle hand of football seems to discover new, ever crueller ways to deny the billionaire who has everything the one thing his money cannot buy. It was penalties in Moscow last year; last night it was a goal from nowhere, or rather from the right boot of Andres Iniesta in the 93rd minute, Barcelona's one shot on target in the entire game. The goal was the last defiant act of the 10 remaining Barça men who for long periods of the game were ploughed into the home soil by the power of Chelsea.
The power and brute force of Chelsea was awe-inspiring at times; but the scenes at the end of the match were an utter embarrassment. Didier Drogba's pursuit of the Norwegian referee, his "fucking disgrace" bellowed down the barrel of the Sky Sports cameras was beyond the pale and Guus Hiddink's refusal to condemn his player did him no credit either. This was Drogba's bonkers moment, he was a mad-man in flip-flops, whose post-match explosion should earn him a Uefa ban.
It does not take much to convince Chelsea of conspiracy theories when it comes to Barcelona and the Champions League and last night there was enough to feed their paranoia for years. A Uefa fix against English teams. A sinister plan to make sure the Nou Camp's great entertainers were in the showcase final against Manchester United in Rome on 27 May. The truth was that the referee Tom Henning Ovrebo had a dreadful game but talk of a Michel Platini-inspired fix is ludicrous.
Ultimately what lost Chelsea this tie was one tiny defensive error in an otherwise monumentally brilliant performance of containment. In the 93rd minute, Michael Essien, whose stunning goal gave Chelsea hope, failed to clear and the ball found itself worked from Lionel Messi to Iniesta and then past Petr Cech. Hiddink's tactics of control worked a treat but to be successful they had to be sustained for the entire game and when at last Barcelona were offered a chance they seized it.
Six goals against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Saturday, one shot on target in 97 minutes of football last night: such were Barcelona's margins of victory. Ovrebo, the Norwegian referee, turned down three penalty appeals for Chelsea which was why Hiddink said that the prevailing mood in the dressing room afterwards was one of "injustice". Yet for all Chelsea's disgust, the red card for Eric Abidal which meant Barcelona played the last 25 minutes with 10 men was also dubious in the extreme.
If Chelsea had wanted to put this game beyond doubt then they should not have relied on a referee, who admittedly had a desperate game, they should have taken matters into their own hands. Drogba, barnstorming though he was before his substitution, missed a glorious chance on 52 minutes when Nicolas Anelka played him in and Victor Valdes saved with his feet. Chelsea had their opportunities and yet they let the 10 men of Barça back into it.
Those three penalty appeals in full. On 24 minutes, Florent Malouda and Daniel Alves became entangled on the left side of the area and while the foul started outside the area it finished inside it. Debatable. The handball by Gerard Pique on 82 minutes after a shot from Anelka was a penalty because the former Manchester United defender admitted afterwards that was the case. Michael Ballack's late shot that struck the hand of Samuel Eto'o? Again, debatable.
But before Chelsea consult the lawyers, or Terry rages against the world, they should remember that Jose Bosingwa's challenge on Thierry Henry in the first leg was probably a penalty. However hard done by they may have felt, that did not justify the gang-style pursuit of Ovrebo at the final whistle. Rather, what should be remembered of this game was a 20-minute opening salvo that was more frantic than the opening of Saving Private Ryan when Chelsea's sheer power and resolve swept Barça away.
This was not a night for Messi, the little man found himself isolated for much of the game, but in Rome he will get the chance to prove his is more than an equal for Cristiano Ronaldo. Henry did not play in the game, failing to recover in time from his hamstring injury. The bewitching passing of Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta in the Nou Camp last week was truncated by Chelsea's control.
Chelsea were at their brilliant brutal best in the first half. Guardiola, in his trendy skinny tie and sharp suit, had no answer to Hiddink's scorched earth policy. Drogba was an ogre, bullying the Barça defence with the ball in the air or on the ground. The goal came when Frank Lampard's cross cannoned off Yaya Touré and fell to Essien on the edge of the area. It was a half-chance only to a player of fabulous technique. Essien struck the ball first time, left-footed, into the top corner of Valdes' goal.
In that first half of the first half, Chelsea should have put the game out of sight. There was the Drogba miss on 24 minutes and a booking for Alves that means he will miss the final. When Barça were at their weakest, Chelsea failed to finish them off. Abidal was sent off in the 66th minute even though Anelka seemed to trip himself up. Drogba came off injured in the 72nd minute despite his gestures suggesting that he was fit to carry on.
After Iniesta's goal, Chelsea's players came piling forward to try to get the equaliser. Cech even got his helmeted head on a corner. How they could have done with Drogba then, even if he was half-fit. But the prize eludes them again and for Abramovich – let's face it – there will have to be a lot more money spent if he is ever going to open the door to a Chelsea dressing room and find the European Cup waiting for him.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Terry, Alex, A Cole; Essien; Anelka, Lampard, Ballack, Malouda; Drogba (Belletti, 72). Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Ivanovic, Di Santo, Mikel, Kalou, Mancienne.
Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes; Alves, Touré, Pique, Abidal; Xavi, Busquets (Bojan, 85), Keita; Iniesta (Gudjohnsen, 90), Messi, Eto'o (Sylvinho, 90). Substitutes not used: Pinto (gk), Caceres, Hleb, Rodriguez.
Referee: T Ovrebo (Norway).
Attendance: 37,857
Chelsea
Petr Cech
Chelsea's saviour at the Nou Camp had precious little to do until the final minute 6/10
Jose Bosingwa
Marking Messi in the first leg, now Eto'o and then Iniesta. Coped well with them all 7
John Terry
Dependable as ever in his 50th Chelsea game of the season. Unlucky with one header 8
Alex
Would have been out of the final after yellow card. Needed Terry to cover up for him 5
Ashley Cole
Coped better with Iniesta early on than Messi who skinned him twice. 6
Michael Essien
Glorious goal showed quality going forward and allowed Busquets little scope. Booked. 8
Nicolas Anelka
Better down the middle than out wide. No credit for his part in Abidal's dismissal 6
Frank Lampard
Recovered from nasty knock to face to play some shrewd passes. No scoring chances 7
Michael Ballack
Could have been sent off in first game and had to tread carefully. Diligent if uncreative 6
Florent Malouda
More of a duel than a feud with Daniel Alves this time and he came out of it well 6
Didier Drogba
Not at sharpest when twice sent clear in the first half or when set up by Anelka. Theatrical 5
Substitutes:
Juliano Belletti (Drogba 72) 5

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Guardian:

Champions Lge Semi-Final L2Chelsea 1 Essien 9 Barcelona 1 Iniesta 90
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

Despair in a football match cannot come more intolerably or improbably. ­Barcelona vaulted over Chelsea in the third minute of stoppage time to seize a place in the Champions League final against Manchester United with their sole shot on target. It also stood apart because the strike into the top corner by Andrés Iniesta was exquisite after Lionel Messi had set him up on the fringes of the area.
There could be no sportsmanlike appreciation of that drive, which brought triumph on the away-goals rule, when Chelsea had so much to resent. They had seen a few penalty claims denied by Tom Henning Ovrebo and one still remained. In the closing moments Ballack screamed that his drive had been blocked by an arm.
The Norwegian referee was indifferent to the appeals and showed the midfielder a yellow card. A relatively inexperienced Ovrebo was not partisan and had dismissed Eric Abidal questionably in the 66th minute for denying Nicolas Anelka a goalscoring opportunity.
However, the official did not inspire any confidence whatsoever. Mayhem broke out with the Barcelona coach, Pep ­Guardiola, and his backroom staff bursting out of their technical area, in front the home support, at the equaliser.
Didier Drogba, who had been substituted, harangued Ovrebo at the end and received a booking before yelling "It's a fucking disgrace" into a television microphone. Uefa will most likely take further disciplinary action but the suffering of this outcome is more agonising than anything officials in Switzerland can devise.
United's disinterested reaction to this outcome would be interesting to hear. Sir Alex Ferguson had been anticipating a rematch with Chelsea, who were beaten on penalties in the Moscow final a year ago. Now United are to meet Guardiola's line-up, who will lack a suspended Daniel Alves as well as Abidal. United must ­suppose that they can bottle up Barcelona as they did in last season's semi-final.
Such considerations felt academic amid the rawness of Stamford Bridge. Guus ­Hiddink, the temporary ­manager, has an FA Cup final to come but that must look a negligible prize now. There is a ­to-and-froing of discussion and ­recrimination ahead. The Dutchman, after all, opted to take off Drogba when his side led against a Barcelona depleted by the loss of Abidal.
Hiddink thereby removed one threat who might have pinned down the ­visitors. Drogba had received treatment on his ankle and may have been injured but he certainly looked in rude health when entering the field in protest at the end. Whatever his condition, Juliano Belletti, the midfielder who replaced him, could not make Barcelona retreat.
For a range of reasons this will be remembered as Drogba's night, ­several of them not at all to his credit. The striker was at his most wasteful in the 53rd minute.
Florent Malouda fed Anelka, who rolled the ball across the ­penalty area from the left Drogba created a problem for himself with a heavy first touch. He still squirmed inside but his finish broke from the leg of the goalkeeper Victor Valdés.
Chelsea ought to have exposed the brittleness at the core of Barcelona's defence, where Rafael Márquez and Carles Puyol were absent through injury and suspension respectively.
Yaya Touré, a midfielder by trade, showed little conception of ­centre-back play but Chelsea could not punish the deficiency fully.
Their goal was spectacular but utterly unpredictable. A Frank Lampard ball came back off Touré and Michael Essien, from some 22 yards, hit a thunderous yet controlled volley with his left foot. There was no prospect of Valdés saving it and the ­underside of the bar directed it into the corner of the net
Hiddink did wish to be bold. That was reflected in the preference of an attacking right-back, Jose Bosingwa, over the conservative Branislav Ivanovic. The ineffective visitors also felt the absence of Thierry Henry, who had been dynamic in the first leg. He had not got over a knee injury.
Chelsea, unable as they were to keep the ball, had more of an edge to them but that led mostly to demands for a penalty. The best of them may have been Anelka's appeal for handball when a converted penalty would have doubled the lead.
As it was, that precarious 1–0 lead began to gnaw at Hiddink's team as Barcelona discovered a keener purpose following the interval. The stress endured by Chelsea at Camp Nou was being experienced anew.
It ought to have been dissipated when Abidal was sent off harshly. Drogba's flick sent Anelka racing towards the area. Abidal, intentionally or otherwise, bumped into the Frenchman, who went down. Ovrebo dismissed him.
Chelsea held the advantage against 10 men while a goal in front. Ultimately they must accept some of the blame for failing to convert that into a place in the final. There was instead a fifth failure for the club at this juncture in the tournament.
The ill will and contention bore ­inevitable echoes of the Mourinho era. A different period, with Hiddink gone, lies ahead, if only because there is a need to replace some ageing players, perhaps including Drogba. Nonetheless, this night will still loom over the newcomers.

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Sun:
Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1
From SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge

ARE Chelsea destined never to succeed in winning the Champions League?
No matter how much they spend, no matter how hard they try and no matter who is the manager, it will not happen for them.
Last year their hearts were broken by a shootout defeat against Manchester United in the final in Moscow.
This time Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo, who turned down at least four decent penalty appeals, and Andres Iniesta’s dramatic strike in added time, which cancelled out Michael Essien’s stunning volley, wrecked their dreams.
Iniesta’s drive from the edge of the box with 93 minutes on the clock was Barcelona’s only shot on target all night.
But it was the one which was good enough to take them to Rome and a glamour date with United on May 27.
That was much to the delight of the UEFA hierarchy, who, as Blues boss Guus Hiddink hinted, did not want to see an all-English club final for a second successive year. It was all too much for a furious Didier Drogba.
Having been denied more than one penalty claim and foiled by Barca keeper Victor Valdes, he stormed towards Ovrebo as the whistle went and completely lost the plot.
He began raging at the ref, got booked, continued his tirade of abuse and had to be dragged away before he landed one on him.
Drogba then kept it going down the tunnel, branding Ovrebo a disgrace, and we can expect UEFA to take a very dim view of his behaviour.
Yes, he was frustrated. But he crossed the line by a distance.
Barcelona can count themselves fortunate to be in the final. Yet while they created little, they could point to the fact they dominated possession and played almost a third of the game with 10 men after Eric Abidal was sent off for what was a debatable foul on Nicolas Anelka.
If there was a criticism of Chelsea’s performance, it was that they did not kill the game off.
But if they had been awarded just one of their numerous penalty appeals they would have done.
They were ahead on nine minutes, as Frank Lampard’s ball into the box hit makeshift centre-half Yaya Toure and looped up in the air.
In an instant, Essien latched on to it with his left boot and crashed a magnificent volley over Valdes and in off the underside of the bar.
It was a great start but then came those controversial decisions which finished up causing such anger.
First Florent Malouda was clearly shoved over by Daniel Alves and it appeared to be inside the area.
Yet a free-kick was given just out of the box, much to Chelsea’s disbelief.
Then came an Abidal challenge from behind on Drogba, as he shaped to shoot from 12 yards out.
Even if Drogba does have a reputation for diving, there was no way he would go to ground in that position unless he had been fouled. Again the ref waved play on.
Very little was seen of the much vaunted Lionel Messi, who did not do a great deal in the first leg either.
He could not get away from the dogged Ashley Cole and, if he cut inside, there was John Terry and Alex to shut the door.
Barca, though, were always in it while Chelsea only had the one-goal advantage and you felt that, sooner or later, the Spanish League leaders would create one opening.
Just after the break, Anelka fed Drogba on the right.
Drogba put Gerard Pique on his backside and had the goal at his mercy.
He sized up the opening but his left-foot shot was too close to Valdes and the keeper saved with his outstretched right leg before Malouda thumped the loose ball into the side-netting.
Minutes later Drogba shook off Yaya Toure and the defender got back to take ball followed by man in the area.
There were screams for a spot-kick for a third time and Drogba was left on the ground pleading profusely. Once more Barca got the benefit of the doubt, correctly on this occasion.
The visitors were really up against it on 66 minutes, as Abidal was dismissed for allegedly clipping Anelka’s heel with the Frenchman heading towards goal.
The defender was unlucky because, if he caught his fellow countryman at all, it was purely an accident.
Predictably, like buses, another penalty claim came along shortly afterwards.
This time Anelka dinked the ball forward and it clearly struck Pique’s hand.
Surprise, surprise nothing was given.
This was Barca’s lucky night and, as the clock ticked down and the Catalans kept up the hunt, it was goal hero Essien who made the mistake which led to the equaliser.
The Ghanaian failed to clear his lines and, when Messi picked out Iniesta to his right, the midfield ace drilled a shot beyond the despairing Cech to spark wild Barcelona celebrations and stun The Bridge.
Delight on the pitch and also off it for Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal skipper who missed the game with a hamstring injury and thought his chance of making up for losing the 2006 final — ironically against Barca — might actually have gone for good.
Chelsea were sick. They were so close to Rome they could taste the pasta.
But the incredible drama still was not over.
Michael Ballack fired in a volley which hit Samuel Eto’o high on an arm as he turned his back on the shot.
The blazing German was straight to the referee, adamant that this time he simply had to give a penalty.
No chance. Eto’o could have shot Ballack and the midfielder still would not have got the decision he was after.
All he did get was a yellow card, which would have cost him his final place had Chelsea made it through.
There will be serious ramifications over what went on after the match.
But one simple fact is not in dispute. Chelsea are out.