Barcelona vs Chelsea Player Ratings

In a night when many predicted Barcelona to steamroll a Chelsea side intent on playing in a defensive fashion, they were in for a surprise. 

John Terry got sent off but Chelsea managed to go through 3-2 on aggregate.

Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta netted for the home side but Chelsea scored through Ramires and Fernando Torres to secure a place in the final.

Lionel Messi even missed a penalty as his goal drought against the Blues continued.

Chelsea will now get to go to Munich and face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich and Roberto di Matteo is either the shrewdest manager or the luckiest. 

Barcelona

Victor Valdes - 6

He rarely needed to do anything in the game but the fact that he failed the only two times when he really needed to perform meant that it was a disappointing outing for the Barcelona keeper.

Gerard Pique (off 26') - 6

He crashed into Valdes' backside when trying to prevent Didier Drogba from reaching a long ball inside the box and suffered a concussion that abruptly ended his return to the starting XI. Before the game, he revealed that he had planned to get in touch with Rio Ferdinand in order to figure out how to handle the Ivory Coast international but quite clearly, he didn't do his homework properly.

Carles Puyol - 4

He hardly had anything to do but as the senior-most member in the defence, he should have ensured that they had the concentration required to keep it tight at the back and not allow Ramires or Torres to slip through.

Cesc Fabregas (off 74') - 6

Devoid of his usual burst of creativity in the game, Fabregas' only worthy mention in the game was due to a minor scuffle with Frank Lampard. However, he did win a penalty for Barcelona which Messi missed.

Xavi - 5

His defence-splitting passes were missing as the Chelsea backline defended deep from the start and seemed to turn around the old adage as defence became the best form of attack.

Andres Iniesta - 7

He was the home side's only midfielder capable of creating something, managing to get a goal, and if he wasn't marked so closely, he would have added more to the final scoreline.

Javier Mascherano - 6

He repeatedly tested Cech from distance and so he was at least more of a threat than the other defenders.

Sergio Busquets - 7

The midfielder managed to get the opening goal but he was unable to dribble or find a way past the packed Chelsea defence.

Alexis Sanchez - 5.5

He will be remembered for all the wrong reasons but while the Chilean goes down easy, he was not to blame for Terry's red card. He could have been on target more often and his wastefulness proved very costly for the defending champions. 

Lionel Messi - 5.5

Messi missed a crucial penalty opportunity and he was also unable to dribble through the defence as his team expected him to. All in all, it was an extremely disappointing outing for the Argentinean, especially by his lofty standards, and it will be a night to forget for both him and his team. 

Isaac Cuenca (off 67') - 4

Cuenca was Barcelona's poorest player after Puyol as he just did not support Messi and Sanchez and was completely anonymous for much of the game.

Subs

Dani Alves (on 24') - 5

A full-back renowned the world over for his crossing and his dribbling could not find his feet nor the head of a Barcelona player. 

Seydou Keita (on 74') - 5

Keita was a poor substitution as it meant that Guardiola had to sacrifice the creative talent of Fabregas.

Cristian Tello (on 67') - 5

He was unable to exert influence on the game and Guardiola's faith in the two youngsters in the side's big games such as the semi-final and El Clasico will be brought under serious question in the days to come. 

Chelsea

Petr Cech - 9

The indomitable Chelsea keeper started the game with such confidence that a clean sheet appeared possible. Unfortunately, indiscipline and poor marking allowed Barcelona to score two goals. But he kept believing and made a number of brilliant saves that ensured Chelsea's progression to the final. 

He was not daunted by the thousands of whistles from Barcelona fans that castigated him for his delayed goal kicks and even as he was carded for the time wasting, he just carried on and did his job.

If there has been one player who has kept the blue flag flying high then it was the Czech international. 

Branislav Ivanovic - 8.5

He had to shoulder the burden of being the leader of the defence and he did the job superbly. He was fearless and ready and willing to bark orders and dominate many of the battles inside the box. The yellow card he picked up means that he is out of the final and it is truly a shame that one of Chelsea's best players of the season will not get the chance to win the one trophy they have sought so long for.

Ashley Cole - 7

He was weak in the first half as Drogba had to often come down and help him out but his performance improved in the second half. 

Gary Cahill - 6 (off 12')

The former Bolton defender had been so impressive in his debut European campaign and it was with a hint of sadness that he had to depart the field after suffering a hamstring injury.

John Terry - 4 (sent off 37')

Oh boy, how could the former England captain lose his cool like that? At first, it appeared as if the referee had been influenced by the linesman too easily but a closer look revealed that Terry definitely intended to knee Sanchez from the back. Such deliberate attempts to cause harm to a player warrants nothing less than a straight red and he seriously let down his side at such an early stage of the game.

Ramires - 8.5

From where did he appear in order to score Chelsea's vital first away goal? It seemed as if he was camped inside his half doing his best to stem the tide of Barcelona's attack but then he rampaged forward in order to to coolly lob a pass over Valdes' head. 

The heart and courage displayed by the Brazilian when his team had just lost their captain will be remembered fondly by Chelsea fans for many a day. He also carried out some brave defending by heading away crosses and carrying out crunch tackles and was easily the best midfielder on the pitch.

Frank Lampard - 8

He unleashed the pass that allowed Ramires to score and the attacking midfielder took on the unfamiliar duty of becoming Cech's first line of defence in the midfield. He did the job admirably enough even if he demonstrated a sliver of aggression that could have easily earned him a red card with a more whistle-friendly referee.

Jon Obi Mikel - 7

Forced to partner Ivanovic, the Nigerian carried out the job admirably enough. Allowing Iniesta to slip behind him allowed Barcelona to gain the advantage for a brief time, however.

Raul Meireles - 7.5

The Portuguese was effective in closing out areas of space and was an integral part of Chelsea's stubborn resistance and persistence in the midfield.

Juan Mata (off 58') - 7

The Spanish midfielder was cool with his dribbling but he wasn't swift enough to participate in the counter-attacks and after the sending off, he was sacrificed for the agile and fitter Salomon Kalou.

Didier Drogba (off 80') - 8

Chelsea's Ivorian lion was a magnificent in the game as he was everywhere. He helped out in defence with some staunch challenges and he was present in attack bullying Puyol and Pique. It was an energetic performance that would have made even Guardiola proud had he been a player donning the Blaugrana jersey. 

The only blemish with his performance was the rash challenge on Fabregas that conceded the penalty.

Subs

Jose Bosingwa (on 12') - 7.5

Playing practically as a central defender for the duration of his time on the pitch, he did his defensive duties well enough.

Salomon Kalou (on 58') - 6

Why did he not shoot in the 68th minute? It was the best opportunity that Chelsea had to really stun their opponents in the second half. Luckily, another substitute was ready to make amends. 

Fernando Torres (on 80') - 8.5

Filling Drogba's shoes is always a tough ask but on such an important night, he did it with aplomb. Unbelievable. Was it a goal worth 50 million pounds? 

Well, we're not sure about that but it definitely paid for a significant proportion.

Fascinating stuff. It was the kind of moment that left his fans in tears as after such a long wait and after having to endure months of criticism, the former Spanish international finally had his moment of glory.

Many Chelsea fans will undoubtedly declare him to be the best Spanish footballer on the pitch. Will it be enough to convince Vicente del Bosque to bring him back to the Spanish fold?