Fletcher may miss final

Manchester United's Darren Fletcher will miss the Champions League final after Uefa confirmed that his red card against Arsenal will stand.

Fletcher was given a straight red card for an adjudged foul on Cesc Fabregas in the box as United won the second leg of the Champions League semi-final 3-1.

Uefa has confirmed that no appeal can be made against the decision, no matter what the referee says in his report.

United will face Chelsea or Barcelona in the final in Rome on 27 May.

"Manchester United have the right to protest the decision within 24 hours of the match," said a Uefa spokesman.

"However, the protest is only admissible if the referee made an error and mistakenly identified and cautioned or sent off the wrong player.

"There cannot be an appeal against a factual decision taken by the referee and there is nothing to indicate that the referee made a mistake in identifying Fletcher as the player he penalised last night."After Tuesday's game, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described the prospect of Fletcher missing out on the final as "a tragedy" but did not criticise Italian referee Roberto Rosetti.

"You can see the ball has moved in a different direction but we shouldn't ask the referee," stated Ferguson.

"He's competent and fair enough to look at it himself possibly. Apparently, you can't appeal and if that's the case it's disappointing for the boy.

"Darren's one of the most honest players in the game and to miss the final is a tragedy."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also insisted the red card was "very harsh" after television pictures showed Fletcher played the ball cleanly.

Bosingwa blasts referee

Chelsea winger Jose Bosingwa has labelled referee Tom Henning Ovrebo a "thief" after Chelsea's controversial Champions League exit.

Andres Iniesta's stoppage-time equaliser saw Barca progress to the final of Europe's premier club competition but Chelsea claimed they could have had four penalties.

And Bosingwa has laid the blame for the Blues' failure to reach their second successive final squarely at Henning's feet.

"I don't know if he's a referee or a thief," he told Portuguese television station RTP. "I don't have any words to describe that man that was on the pitch.

"We have nothing against Barcelona's goal but the penalties that he didn't give us and his way of managing the game weren't right at all.

"This referee should never referee a game again. What happened was a disgrace.

"It was a well contested game but the referee came to spoil our game."

Drogba rages at ref for Euro exit

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba labelled referee Tom Henning Ovrebo a "disgrace" after his side's Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona.

The Blues felt they had four strong shouts for penalties before Barcelona won the semi-final on away goals with a 93rd-minute Andres Iniesta strike.

After the 1-1 second-leg draw, Drogba ran on to the pitch to confront Ovrebo at the final whistle and was booked.

He then shouted and swore into TV cameras and may face action from Uefa.

A Uefa spokesman said: "We will see the report from the referee and match delegate before deciding whether to take any action or not." Drogba, who had been substituted after 72 minutes, had to be restrained as Norwegian Ovrebo went down the tunnel.

Blues captain John Terry, who also strongly remonstrated with Ovrebo, defended the reactions of the Chelsea players and Drogba in particular.

"I am fully behind Didier for the way he reacted," declared Terry. "The man wants to win. You can see the passion that he played with during the game and the passion afterwards.

"People are saying we shouldn't have reacted the way we did but the fact is, six decisions went against us in front of 40,000 people. And for the ref to not give one of them is unusual."

The central defender also condemned the decision to select Ovrebo for such a high-profile tie.

Referee wins the match for Barca

Andres Iniesta's spectacular strike deep into stoppage time wrecked Chelsea's dreams of a second successive Champions League final against Manchester United amid chaotic scenes at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea looked to have kept Barcelona at bay and sealed an all-Premier League clash in Rome on a night of nerve-jangling tension after Michael Essien's 20-yard blockbuster in the ninth minute.

But with Guus Hiddink's side hanging on - and fuelled by a sense of injustice after referee Tom Ovrebo rejected a succession of penalty appeals - Iniesta beat Petr Cech from the edge of the area to send Barcelona into the final on away goals.

It was a heartbreaking moment for Chelsea and one that was too much to bear for Didier Drogba, on the sidelines after being substituted with an injury.There had already been angry scenes in the technical area after Barcelona's leveller, with Hiddink appearing to be buffeted on the touchline, but at the final whistle, Drogba marched on to the field to subject referee Ovrebo to a prolonged verbal tirade.

He rightly received a yellow card but Drogba refused to be deterred by this punishment and continued to pursue the official while being held back.

It was an unpalatable conclusion to a dramatic encounter in which Chelsea had four appeals for penalties ignored, the strongest being a clear handball by Gerard Pique after the break.

Barcelona now face United in the final - but it was victory at a price, with Dani Alves ruled out of the final after a booking and Eric Abidal will also miss out after he was unluckily sent off for tangling with Nicolas Anelka.

Chelsea, meanwhile, must now gather their forces for the end of the Premier League campaign and the FA Cup final against Everton.

They looked to be on their way to a European final after a superb defensive display that restricted the visitors all night until Iniesta's deadly strike.Barcelona's attempt to secure a crucial away goal suffered a blow before kick-off when Thierry Henry was ruled out with a knee injury - while Chelsea included both Drogba and Anelka in their line-up.

The Catalan giants posed the first threat when Xavi's effort took two deflections before Jose Bosingwa cleared from almost on the goal-line.

And Chelsea took advantage of that escape to make the breakthrough after only nine minutes.

Frank Lampard's pass was half-cleared and even though there seemed little danger, Essien met the loose ball with a thunderous left-foot volley that left Valdes stranded as it ripped high past him and into the net off the bar.Barcelona's response was predictably measured as they refused to stray from their trademark passing approach but it failed to reap any rewards as Chelsea keeper Cech remained well protected by his defenders.

Indeed, it was Chelsea who had the better chances despite having less of the possession, with Valdes just beating Drogba to Lampard's long ball before diverting away the striker's angled free-kick with his knees.

Chelsea made the first of a series of penalty appeals when Malouda appeared to be hauled down by Alves inside the box, only for the referee to signal a free-kick just outside the area.

Drogba was the next to appeal when he was tugged back by Abidal but Ovrebo ignored his claims - much to the obvious disgust of Chelsea's high-maintenance striker.The home side, predictably, came under pressure in the opening exchanges after the break but they broke away to great effect, only to see Drogba waste a perfect chance to double their lead.

Anelka set him up 12 yards out but after cutting inside Pique, Drogba shot against the legs of Valdes, with Malouda striking the rebound into the side-netting.

Drogba was again left appealing in vain for a penalty after colliding with Yaya Toure but Barcelona's giant midfield man looked to have just got a touch on the ball.

Referee Ovrebo was on the receiving end of Barcelona's anger after 65 minutes when he sent off defender Abidal for what only appeared to be an unwitting tangle of legs with Anelka.

And Ovrebo was in action again 10 minutes from time when Pique handled under pressure from Anelka but once again the referee was in no mood to point to the spot.As the game entered the final minutes of stoppage time, the one moment of magic Chelsea feared from this gifted Barcelona side arrived to steal their dreams of a second successive final away from them at the last gasp.

Essien sliced his clearance and the ball came to Iniesta, who sent a rising 20-yard drive past Cech into the top corner to spark chaotic scenes on the touchline.

More drama was to follow when Chelsea's players appealed one last time for a penalty when Michael Ballack's volley appeared to strike Samuel Eto'o's arm - and the German midfielder chased the referee back up the pitch to express his fury when the spot-kick never came.

And when the final whistle blew, Drogba marched on to direct his tirade at referee Ovrebo - it was an act that only increased the sense of anger and injustice on the air on a night of bitter disappointment for Chelsea.

United close to retaining their title

Arsenal were no match for the current rulers of Europe and they are on route for another title .Manchester United produced a virtuoso display to remain on course to become the first team to retain the Champions League - and destroyed Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger's dream of winning his first European trophy.

Arsenal's hopes of wiping out a single-goal deficit from the first leg ended inside 11 minutes as United struck twice to silence an expectant crowd at the Emirates.

Ji-Sung Park pounced on Kieran Gibbs' slip for a close-range finish after eight minutes, while Cristiano Ronaldo fired a 40-yard free-kick past startled keeper Manuel Almunia three minutes later.

It left Arsenal's plans, plus Wenger's bold promise of a "magnificent" performance from his players, in tatters as they were simply unable to cope with the power, pace and energy produced by Sir Alex Ferguson's side.Ronaldo's second goal of the game after 61 minutes summed up his side's display in the space of a few devastating seconds.

Arsenal were undone from their own corner by a superb sweeping move that also involved starring roles for Park and Wayne Rooney before Ronaldo completed the formalities with a flourish. It rubber-stamped United's passage into a final against Chelsea or Barcelona in Rome on 27 May - and on this evidence they will take some stopping.

The only blot on United's otherwise perfect night came 16 minutes from time when Darren Fletcher was sent off by referee Roberto Rosetti, who ruled the midfielder had fouled Cesc Fabregas as he raced in on goal.

Robin van Persie's penalty will not cause United as much pain as Fletcher's suspension for the final.

If United's first-leg performance did not bring the margin of victory it deserved, they were full value for this triumph.

And as Ferguson and United's players celebrated, Wenger was left to contemplate the stark statistic that Arsenal have not won a trophy since they beat these same opponents in the 2005 FA Cup final - and looked light years behind them on the evidence of these two games. United will now press on to try to seal another Premier League title, safe in the knowledge they can take a tilt at winning this European trophy for the fourth time.

Arsenal attempted to crank up the atmosphere inside the Emirates by placing thousands of flags on seats around the stadium but two early blows from United ensured they were swiftly lowered.

United were desperate for the away goal that would leave Arsenal facing a mountainous task and they were gifted it via an error from Gibbs. He looked comfortably positioned to clear Ronaldo's routine cross but he slipped and Park was on hand to take advantage by sliding in to lift a finish over Almunia.

Arsenal's plight became virtually impossible three minutes later when another mistake, this time from Almunia, allowed United to double their advantage and leave the Gunners requiring four goals.

Van Persie fouled Ronaldo 40 yards out and while his strike was sweetly-struck and dipping, Almunia must take responsibility for moving too late to save an effort that arrived at a comfortable height.

Arsenal's players - and their thousands of followers - were visibly shell-shocked and Rooney almost made it three after 18 minutes.Playing with great discipline in a left-flank role, he cut in dangerously to test Almunia with a shot the keeper was just able to turn to safety.

United were in complete control and Ronaldo was just off target with a header from Anderson's resulting corner.

Arsenal had been dominated to such an extent that they were reduced to ignoring Wenger's long-held philosophies as they launched aimless balls in the direction of Emmanuel Adebayor and Van Persie.

Their only response was a tame header from Fabregas that provided little more than catching practice for Edwin Van der Sar.

If Arsenal hoped the interval would inspire some remarkable transformation in a one-sided encounter, they were to be disappointed as United simply resumed with the same air of superiority.

Ronaldo tested Almunia with a low shot at his near post before he added United's third - a goal that summed up the quality of his side's performance.

From an Arsenal corner, Ronaldo found Park just 20 yards from his own penalty area. He played in Rooney and when he served up a perfect pass, there was Ronaldo to complete a picture goal with a finish high past Almunia.It afforded Ferguson the luxury of being able to remove Rooney and Patrice Evra, players who would have missed the final had they had picked up another yellow card.

Fletcher did, however, suffer that fate when he was shown a straight red card by referee Rosetti 14 minutes from time when Fabregas tumbled as the pair collided in the penalty area.

Rosetti awarded a penalty, which Van Persie duly scored, but replays showed Fletcher appearing to get a clean touch on the ball before Fabregas fell to the ground - although there was no suggestion the Arsenal captain dived.

United then simply played out time before taking deserved acclaim at the conclusion of a magnificent team effort - as Europe's elite trophy came into sight for Ferguson and his men once more.

Heroic Chelsea Got It Right, Arsenal Got Away With It - Alan Hansen

Alan Hansen was a colossus on the pitch for Liverpool and Scotland, becoming a true Anfield legend and collecting a host of medals in a glittering playing career. And since hanging up his boots he's become a giant of football punditry too, renowned for his forthright views and analyses which are eagerly anticipated by millions of viewers of BBC TV's 'Match of the Day' every week.

In his role as a pundit for the New Football Pools, Hansen gave Goal.com his take on the two Champions League semi-finals, both involving Premier League clubs...

Chelsea Produced A Fantastic Defensive Performance

"In the aftermath of Chelsea’s heroic 0-0 draw over at the Nou Camp, the Barcelona players have been outspoken against their opponents’ physical and defensive display. They can say what they like but what did they expect Chelsea to do? Play an open expansive game against a team with some of the best attacking players in the world? Of course not, if you do that against Barca they will destroy you.

"Chelsea may have not had a kick or much of the play but 0-0 was still a fantastic result over in Spain. Barcelona play some of the best football you will see in your life but Chelsea restricted them to a handful of chances on the night. Guus Hiddink is not silly, he knew that if Chelsea opened up they could have been ripped apart. By keeping two banks of four and defending the 18-yard line Chelsea restricted the space for Barcelona to exploit and any defender will tell you it’s far easier to defend like that. It also helped that Petr Cech was back to his best in goal. He had a fantastic game apart from the first five or six minutes when a few crosses went into the box and he was all over the place.

"Football is all about exploiting the weaknesses of other teams and Barcelona didn’t do that. Chelsea have shown they struggle defending set-pieces aerially at the moment but Barca refused to throw the ball into the box. Now if this was a Premier League game I’m sure the opposition would be throwing the ball right under Cech’s crossbar but that’s not Barcelona’s style. They play their own game, their own style and back that to get results but they came unstuck against Chelsea.

"The talk before the game was how hard it would be for makeshift left-back Jose Bosingwa to stop Lionel Messi but he did really, really well. Now Messi is an unbelievable talent but if you restrict any player’s time and space, it’s going to be hard for them to influence the game. Chelsea packed men behind the ball, doubled up on the wings and strangled the life out of Barca when they got near their box so Messi didn’t really have an influence.

"It all points to an intriguing second leg at Stamford Bridge next week as the proposition will be different for Chelsea as they will have to come out a bit more. Hiddink won’t have his side going gung-ho and they will still keep men behind the ball even at home. Against Barcelona you have to. If you play too open against a team of that quality they will rip you apart so expect Chelsea to have more of the play but remain solid.

"The comments from the Barcelona players are ridiculous to be honest; there wasn’t a bad tackle in the game. Did they expect Chelsea to just roll over and let them play? It was a fantastic defensive performance from every one of the Chelsea players and all in all a great result.

"I must say I expected Barcelona to reach the final prior to the first leg but it remains unbelievably tight now going into the second leg at the Bridge. I would rate this one as 50-50 but it promises to be a really intriguing clash back in London next week."

Arsenal Got Out Of Jail But Must Improve

"Manchester United should have booked their Champions League final place with the amount of opportunities they had to put the tie to bed. Unlike Chelsea, Arsenal don’t have the mentality to go to Old Trafford and defend solidly without the ball. Even when they don’t play well, they still get men forward, which means if they lose possession, they are open to a counterattack. In contrast, Chelsea never really had the ball at the Nou Camp so were never ever going to be counterattacked, especially as they never got that many players forward. Arsene Wenger’s young team are not able to adapt to play tight and gain a 0-0 draw but, despite playing poorly, they will be happy to return to the Emirates only one goal down.

"All credit must go to Manuel Almunia for keeping Arsenal in this tie as he made a string of saves against a United onslaught, especially in the first half. He was one of the few Gunners' players to emerge with any credit from the game, although young Kieran Gibbs did well. The 19-year-old was up against some of the best attacking players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney but did not look out of place. Unfortunately for Arsenal, Emmanuel Adebayor was very poor on the night. He failed to use his strength at all, despite his size, and barely held onto the ball for his side. He owes his manager a big performance in the second leg at the Emirates after that showing.

"The Arsenal defence was so wide open at times that it wouldn’t be an over-exaggeration to say United could have won this match 4-0. However, now Wenger’s team have got out of jail they have a real chance of upsetting Sir Alex’s team at the Emirates.

"I’d be surprised if United play any differently at the Emirates as their pressing game worked well but there should be a marked improvement in the Arsenal performance and tactics. To be honest, I’d expect United to progress as they have players that can score anywhere and if they get one at the Emirates then Arsenal face a huge task to recover. However, Arsene Wenger’s side have shown they have the ability to pull off surprising results in the past and they may have to again."

Chelsea Star Ballack Laughs Off Barcelona’s Criticism

Barcelona had launch a scathing review of Chelsea and referee, Wolfgang Stark’s performance in last Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg clash at the Camp Nou.

Blues manager, Guus Hiddink utilised an ultra-defensive strategy and a physical approach to stifle the Blaugrana attacking tidal wave and duly earned a 0-0 draw, while the referee was condemned by numerous Barca figures for allowing the English side to get away with an excessive amount of dangerous challenges.

Now, midfielder, Michael Ballack has chipped with his own two cents about all the fuss surrounding the much talked-about game, starting with the match officiating.

“The referee did a great job. This is football and the Barcelona players should know this. Maybe they expected us to roll over for them and because we didn’t, they don’t think it’s fair,” he told The Sun.

“You have to play differently against Barca as you do against Liverpool. This was all part of our strategy,” he added.

The German then responded to his nemesis, Andres Iniesta, who was one of the more vocal players to criticise the referee as well as Chelsea’s ‘anti-football’.

“Iniesta is a great player and there’s no need for him to talk that way,” he declared.

“In fact, it was a game where it was not necessary to talk about the referees at all. But this is how players react when they do not obtain the result they want.”

Chelsea and Barcelona will square-off again this coming Wednesday for the second leg at Stamford Bridge.