JONNY FORDHAM: A night when unlikely heroes in blue emerged

How Chelsea have been desperately looking for a hero.

Going into the game, they had failed to win six out of seven trophies contested this season.

Their manager, Rafa Benitez, is the butt of all jokes, as is their supposed current star striker.

Last year in the Champions League final, they had that focal point in their talisman Didier Drogba.

His nine goals in nine finals for the club showed just how much of an influence he was for them.

Manchester United have Robin van Persie. Arsenal had Cesc Fabregas and RVP, but have Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott lying in wait.

And Spurs have player of the year Gareth Bale.

Torres was never going to be the man to shoulder that burden in Amsterdam, surely?

The script was set for someone like Frank Lampard to produce the moment of magic to light up the tie for the English side. Sure enough, that nearly happened early on when Lampard unleashed a fierce shot from distance towards the end of the first half.

Goalkeeper Guilherme Artur Moraes had set off to his left, but somehow managed to get a strong enough hand on it to his right to deflect the ball over the bar.

Don’t be fooled by the midfielder’s magic, though, Benfica were well on top during the opening 45 minutes.

Rafa Benitez’s men lacked composure and the Blues looked to be stuttering on the big stage.

Their record going into the game against Portuguese opposition was sublime. Played five. Won five.

Yet they lacked the confidence and belief of a side who had so easily bulldozed their European counterparts.

Juan Mata couldn’t conduct the orchestra and Oscar went missing in midfield behind Torres.

It was classic Chelsea and don’t their fans know it.

Then Torres, firing Chelsea into a short-lived lead, showed his class — something that has been so rarely seen in the blue of Chelsea.

It was something so often seen by Liverpool fans — there was even an optimistic Reds contingent who had booked tickets through UEFA’s ballot in December who had still travelled out.

With them they bought banners in support of Benitez.

“Rafa’s right, your fans are shite,” read one of them.

Benitez will seemingly always be loathed by Blues fans, but the stigma they have towards him for being ambitious towards winning a trophy is questionable.

After being knocked out of the Champions League at the group stages, Benitez has carried on with business as usual.

He too has found that like Alan Pardew at Newcastle United, chasing success across the continent can bring disdain from the terraces.

And one principle that Chelsea perhaps haven’t learnt is that replacing your manager each year doesn’t give you any divine right to dine at Europe’s top table year after year.

It has to be earned, but then, Chelsea have now won 11 trophies in 10 years under Roman Abramovich.

They truly are a club to buck the trend.

The impending return of Jose Mourinho will bring with it a swagger that is likely to be transferred on to the pitch. Something Chelsea have lacked since his departure.

Redemption for Benitez was always going to be sparse, no matter what the outcome at the Amsterdam Arena.

Lampard almost made his penultimate game one to favour when he rattled the bar with yet another long-range special.

But no one could have predicted that Branislav Ivanovic could steal the headlines from everyone.

But his back-post header ensured they now hold both European crowns at once, until the giants of German football meet at Wembley.

Ivanovic missed last year’s Champions League final through suspension, this victory might serve as some tonic for not being able to play a part in what should have been his greatest night in football.

For the club, this will be consolation for a season of self-inflicted hurt.

They continue to press the self-destruct button, but ultimately, , they continue to bring the silverware back to the Kings Road.