Barca v Chelsea: Player ratings

We made the unstoppable Ramires our man of the match for Chelsea in Barcelona, closely followed by Petr Cech. But there were several star performers. Here’s how we rated Roberto Di Matteo’s Nou Camp heroes:

Petr Cech: 9
Produced fine saves to deny Messi and Cuenca but, just as importantly, was a towering presence in the box when his reshuffled defence needed him to be commanding.

Branislav Ivanovic: 9
Stepped into the breach after first Cahill and then Terry left the pitch. A rock at the heart of the defence and will be a loss for the final.

Gary Cahill: 6
His early injury was an unfortunate blow as he was brilliant in the first leg and seemed to be settling into another assured display at the back.

John Terry: 5
Played a big part in keeping Chelsea settled and organised during the crucial early stages, but his indiscipline could have been costly.

Ashley Cole: 8
Excellent again. Might have posed a big threat to Barca on the flank had Terry’s sending-off not required him to focus on defending, which he did very effectively.

Raul Meireles: 7
Better without the ball than with it. Sloppy at times but screened the back four very well, especially when Messi picked up the ball in dangerous aeas.

John Obi Mikel: 7
Another player who worked hard in the important midfield area. Almost a centre-back – and a good one at that – as Chelsea were forced to defend deep in the second half.

Frank Lampard: 9
As in the first leg, was excellent with the ball and without it. Denied Barca players space and also set up Ramires’ goal.

Juan Mata: 7
An underrated performance. Was anonymous in the first leg but this time closed down space much more effectively and helped stopped Chelsea being overrun in midfield.

Ramires: 9
Great on the left. And on the right. And when he popped up through the middle. Scored a cracking goal too. His absence for the final is a blow.

Didier Drogba: 7
Gave away a penalty but played a key role in occupying Barca’s defenders. Held the ball up really well to give his team the odd moment of respite.

Jose Bosingwa: 7
Often criticised, but in fairness played his part in a solid display after coming on for Cahill and did well when asked to fill in at centre-back.

Salomon Kalou: 7
Did his job well after coming on for Mata and provided a much needed pair of fresh legs when Chelsea needed them.

Fernando Torres: 7
Has so often done everything but score. In this case he didn’t do much other than score. A turning point maybe?

Click here for the Barcelona v Chelsea quiz

See also: Glory for Chelsea at the Nou Camp  

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