Controversy at the Bridge as another investigation looms
Chelsea strode into the Champions League quarter-finals on a remarkable night which ended in further controversy, bitter accusations and another probable UEFA investigation.
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard was involved in an angry touchline confrontation with Chelsea scout Andre Villas after the final whistle was blown on a pulsating 4-2 win for the home side, enough for a 5-4 aggregate triumph.
As Jose Mourinho ran on to celebrate the victory, which he admitted enjoying even more than last season’s triumph with Porto, Barcelona’s players were still bemoaning their fate in angry scuffles.
Indeed, Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o told Spanish television that a Chelsea steward had called him a “monkey”.
A bottle was later thrown in the direction of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich as he walked in front of the visiting fans to celebrate in the Blues’ dressing room.
UEFA have already been asked to investigate claims that Rijkaard met referee Anders Frisk in his dressing room at half-time of the first leg at the Nou Camp, and they could now launch another probe.
Tensions certainly remained high tonight, with Rijkaard admitting his “bitterness” in defeat after John Terry’s late headed winner had completed Chelsea’s remarkable 5-4 victory on aggregate.
Rijkaard declared: “Someone insulted our bench but I don’t really want to say too much about it as it wasn’t serious and I know what it’s like after the game - people show their emotions.
“I’m not complaining but I always feel bitter in defeat. I feel bitter because we didn’t succeed and because we had a great opportunity to make a statement.
“But maybe I feel a bit more bitter because of all the lies that were told before this game from the first leg and the things that were created.
“With everything that surrounded this game, it makes you want to win that little bit more. And that makes defeat that little bit worse.”
Barcelona were particularly upset at referee Pierluigi Collina failing to spot an alleged foul by Ricardo Carvalho on goalkeeper Victor Valdes just before Terry headed the 76th-minute winner.
“That’s something which my players felt, although we didn’t see it from the bench,” insisted Rijkaard.
Mourinho was nevertheless delighted at his side’s character in battling back after initially allowing a two-goal lead to slip through their grasp.
The Chelsea manager insisted he had “no idea” about the touchline scuffle at the final whistle as he had been racing on to celebrate with his players.
“I enjoyed that even more than previous games which were more important for me. I have played in finals and I didn’t run like I did tonight,” he revealed.
“It was the reaction of a big team, I saw players, substitutes, coaching staff and medical people all out there.
“The reason I didn’t celebrate after last season’s final was that it was a 3-0 victory and so you keep calm as you know that you’re on your way to victory.
“With a game like this, it was changing faces every five minutes. I was just about to put on Robert Huth to play centre-forward when we scored the winner, so I put him on at centre-back instead!
“I want to win, I’m paid to do my job to get results for Chelsea. That’s the only thing that’s personal.
“Losing I take personally, nothing else. I’m very happy that we won, ecstatic that we’re in the quarter-finals and very happy that we’ve beaten the best team in the world at the moment, according to some people.”
He added: “The way that the players did it, the way they believed at the start and in the second half in spite of Barcelona recovering was fantastic.
“The game was unbelievably emotional. The game was magnificent but the reality is that we won 5-4 on aggregate. Over the 180 minutes, the best team went through.”