Drogba loses the plot | Single lapse so costly | How the action unfolded | Dickinson: referee was inept
Marcotti: the final the world wanted to see | How Chelsea rated | How Barcelona rated
Barclay: can Messi be match for United | Debate: were protests justified? | Graphic: Chelsea pay penalty I Spanish media hail Iniesta I Debate: who's worse - Didier Drogba or Joey Barton?

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.

The final

Barcelona v Manchester United at Stadio Olimpico, Rome on May 27