. : chelsea vs barcelona : semi final 1st leg : .

How Chelsea FC Rated

4-2-3-1

Average rating: 6.1

Petr Cech

Started nervously and missed two crosses, but recovered to make several good saves from Henry, one from Xavi, a brilliant stop from Eto’o and a late block on Hleb. 7

Branislav Ivanovic

Knew he was in for a torrid evening the moment he was beaten for pace by Henry in the second minute. Caught out again on the half-hour mark. 5

Alex

Lived on the edge after a desperate lunge on Messi, but just about stayed on the right side of the law. Made amends with a great tackle on Henry. 6

John Terry

Helped to keep the marauding home side at bay with a superb rearguard effort, notable for his organisational skills as well as several last-gasp challenges.7

Jose Bosingwa

Came through a fitness test on the day to start only his second match in a month and did as well as could be expected against the best player in the world. 6

John Obi Mikel

His naivety was exposed by Xavi and Iniesta, with whom he struggled to keep pace, resorting to cynical fouls to stop them in their tracks. 5

Michael Essien

Looked ill-suited to the unfamiliar role on the right that he first filled against Juventus in February, but dug deep to get through lots of unselfish work for the team. 6

Michael Ballack

Has been recast as a defensive midfield player by Hiddink and did his work diligently, though missed a good chance when heading over the bar from a Drogba free kick. 6

Frank Lampard

Given less space than he would have liked and struggled to escape the shackles of Touré before he was replaced by Belletti with 20 minutes remaining. 6

Florent Malouda

Has hit form at the right time and could not be faulted for effort, showing a level of energy that has been absent all season and asked several questions of Alves. 7

Didier Drogba

Chasing an imaginary ball for most of the first half before missing a great chance to give Chelsea the lead. Went round Márquez again soon after but lost his footing. 6

Subs:

Juliano Belletti (for Lampard, 71min), Nicolas Anelka (for Ballack, 90).

Not used:

Hilário, Franco Di Santo, Salomon Kalou, Michael Mancienne, Miroslav Stoch.

Booked:

Alex, Ballack.