Chelsea had a night to forget as they were knocked out of the Champions League with a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid after a 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge.
Frank Lampard’s team fell to two goals from Real forward Rodrygo to exit the tournament at the quarter-final stage, thus relinquishing their last faint hopes of qualifying again next year.
Here, the PA news agency’s Reuben Rosso-Powell looks at five other occasions where Chelsea had a disappointing night in the Champions League.
Chelsea 1 Barcelona 1 (1-1 on aggregate, Barcelona win on away goals) – semi-final, May 6, 2009
A spectacular Michael Essien strike gave the Blues an early lead but it was cancelled out by Andres Iniesta’s dramatic strike at the end, which meant heartbreak for the Blues as they bowed out on away goals.
The performance of referee Tom Ovrebo also frustrated Chelsea’s bid to reach a second-successive final. His decisions were questioned at full-time by Chelsea players who had several penalty appeals turned down.
Bayern Munich 4 Chelsea 1 (Bayern win 7-1 on aggregate) – round of 16, August 8, 2020
However, it was too big an ask as Lampard’s inexperienced side conceded four goals to a Bayern team who went on to win the competition.
Tammy Abraham’s goal was little consolation for the Blues on a bad night in Bavaria.
Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1 (after extra-time, United win 6-5 on penalties) – final, May 21, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener gave United the lead but the goal was cancelled out by Lampard just before half-time, then Didier Drogba’s slap on Nemanja Vidic earned him a red card in extra-time.
The game went to penalties and John Terry’s slip on the wet Moscow turf, coupled with some heroics by goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar, gave United their third European title and their most recent to date.
Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0 (Liverpool win 1-0 on aggregate) – semi-final second leg, May 3, 2005
The talking point of the tie came as Luis Garcia’s contentious effort won the game for Rafael Benitez’s side. The Blues claimed the ball had not crossed the line, a view match official Lubos Michel crucially disagreed with.
The Reds went on to win the final in Istanbul with a comeback victory – after going 3-0 down to draw 3-3 – against AC Milan 3-2 on penalties.
Barcelona 5 Chelsea 1 (after extra-time, Barcelona win 6-4 on aggregate) – quarter-final second leg, April 18, 2000
However, the late Gianluca Vialli’s side crumbled in extra-time at the Nou Camp.
After Celestine Babayaro’s dismissal, Barca took advantage of the extra man as goals from Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert wrapped up the tie.
