“Are you watching this? It’s a disgrace. It’s a f**king disgrace.”

And so it was with these unsavoury words from Didier Drogba that Chelsea’s Champions League came crashing to a halt on Wednesday evening. Much has been written on the game since, Drogba has issued a full apology for his actions, the referee has been smuggled out of the country, but the fact still remains that it is Barcelona that will face Manchester United in Rome on May 27th and not Chelsea.

As the dust settles on events at Stamford Bridge, it is worth putting a bit of perspective on Chelsea’s exit from the competition. It goes without saying that referee Tom Henning Ovrebo had a bad game, but the hysteria that has ensued would lead you to believe that Barcelona are not deserving finalists. Here are some thoughts to redress the balance:

• Eric Abidal was sent off for a foul which was not deserving of a red card. It changed the game and left Barcelona ruthlessly exposed at the back (as if they were not already in the absence of Puyol and Marquez). It is arguable that had Barcelona had eleven men on the field for the remaining twenty five minutes of the game they would have scored earlier.
• Of the four penalties that Chelsea believed should have been given, only one was cast iron – Gerard’s Pique handball. It could be argued that Chelsea are clutching at straws for the other three penalties they were claiming. The foul on Florent Malouda seemed to be outside the and area the others did not appear to be deliberate handballs.
• Chelsea should have finished the game off before Iniesta popped to score in the 93rd minute (which let us not forget was a spectacular goal). Drogba had a wonderful opportunity in the 56th minute to score and surely offer Barcelona no way back. In replacing Drogba with Juliano Belletti in the 72nd minute, Guus Hiddink otherwise flawless tactics could be brought into question. Surely Chelsea should have been looking to kill off the game and not retreat into their shells.
• Barcelona and Chelsea both had one shot on target in their respective away legs; Barcelona scored theirs, Chelsea didn’t.

So whether you believe it or not, Barcelona have earnt the right to play in the final. Their performance was less than convincing however and they do not seem to have mastered the art of playing against English sides. Furthermore, they will be without the suspended Abidal and Dani Alves against Manchester United, in a match which the current holders are surely favourites. As for Chelsea, they will just have to wait for another year.