Torres rediscovers lethal touch as hat-trick rounds off perfect week for Chelsea

The £50 million striker scored his first treble for the Stamford Bridge outfit as the Blues hammered QPR 6-1 to follow up their magnificent draw in Barcelona

As Fernando Torres wheeled away to celebrate his hat-trick goal, the Chelsea owner’s face broke into a broad grin and he high-fived his mates in the executive box from where he was watching the rout unfold.

The Russian never talks in public but this spontaneous gesture spoke volumes for his feelings about the redemption of the club’s record signing.

The other Chelsea goals were marked by the stock Abramovich reaction to a goal from the team he created with his largesse – a beaming smile followed by warm applause.

Like the 41,000-odd other souls at Stamford Bridge, the billionaire knew the extra significance of Chelsea’s fifth goal of the game.

It proved that the cloud that has hovered over Torres for 14 months at the club has finally given way to a ray of light and the promise of brighter times ahead. Each of his three strikes was dispatched with complete conviction and certainty.

Roberto Di Matteo’s side were already 2-0 up and playing with ferocious intensity before Torres slipped into gear and moved into space to collect Salomon Kalou’s deliciously struck first-time pass in the 19th minute and then effortlessly round Paddy Kenny before angling his shot into the net.

It was a run he might not even have made a few weeks ago as the endless search for his mojo continued. The finish almost certainly would have been out of his range.

Six minutes later, Torres had his second. After Nedum Onuoha and Kenny made a complete hash of a clearance, the number nine gleefully latched on to a loose ball and lashed it into the net with his left foot.

With his confidence soaring, Torres looked like grabbing his first hat-trick since 2009 every time Chelsea marched towards the QPR goal. The moment finally came in the 64th minute when Juan Mata, his hardly any less outstanding countryman, put him through on goal with an inch-perfect pass.

The rank-and-file held their breath. So did those in a top-tier executive box. Torres opened up his body and side-footed it into the corner with the precision of a surgeon completing a life-saving operation.

The Bridge rose to acclaim one whose suffering in a blue shirt has been so public at times that it has made for painful viewing.

By rediscovering the target with four goals in five days, the born-again Spaniard has not only renewed his confidence and injected a shot into the arm of his Chelsea career but showed what a difference he could make to his club’s double dream.

You can't blame the pitch, post or penalty-spot - Barcelona gifted the tie to Chelsea

Barcelona’s Champions League campaign is over, and while Chelsea get set for a trip to Munich that nobody could have envisaged two months ago, the Catalans will be left to reflect on the fact it was their own inability to change their approach at the key moments which has resulted in their exit.

Just as in 2010 against Inter at the same stage, they were left playing against 10 men for the entire second half, but once more they were incapable of seeing the job through. But this time around, there was a real lack of will to take the Blues defence on, and a second-half penalty miss from Lionel Messi proved to be the moment on which the tie swung.

After Messi had twice got into good positions in the first half and failed to beat Petr Cech on either occasion, there still seemed little reason for panic in the Blaugrana ranks. The chances were coming, space was being made, and Chelsea seemed not to know how to put a stop to it.

Sergio Busquets was the man who eventually opened the scoring, tucking home after Isaac Cuenca had restarted an attack following a half-cleared corner. It levelled the tie, and moments later came the game’s big flashpoint.

MATCH FACTS | Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea

	BARCELONA	CHELSEA
On Target	7	3
Posession	72%	28%
Territory	82%	18%
Corners	10	1
Bookings	2	6
Red cards	0	1

Brainlessly, stupidly, John Terry kneed Alexis Sanchez in back play, and the red card which followed seemed set to start an onslaught. Chelsea’s remaining 10 men looked stunned, and were soon rocked by a second Barcelona goal, Andres Iniesta firing home what most watchers expected to be the catalyst for a rout after collecting the ball from Messi. But in first half stoppage time came the first bolt from the blue.

Ramires chased on to a pass forward from Frank Lampard, and made the most of it, chipping the ball over Victor Valdes, who had run into no-man’s land yards off his line. Suddenly, the Camp Nou crowd fell silent, and their goalkeeper had conceded for a second time in two legs from a grand total of two shots at his goal. And for the second time he had been at fault.

Straight after the break though, the tie should have been back on script when Cesc Fabregas was brought down by part-time left-back Didier Drogba just after the interval. Some replays suggested it may have been a soft penalty award, but it wasn't to matter. Messi couldn’t convert from the spot, lashing his effort against the bar with so much force that nobody could mop up from the rebound. It was the first true sign that it may not be Barcelona’s night after all.

Thereafter, it was a second period in which the pace of the home side’s play dropped markedly, and there was little of real concern for Chelsea. Instead of having their backs to the wall, the Londoners looked comfortable enough. Isaac Cuenca got in behind on one occasion, but couldn’t lift the ball over Cech.

There should have been more to it than that. There needed to be more energy, more invention, more incision, but there was little more than dead possession which did nothing to hurt Roberto Di Matteo’s side. Pep Guardiola had few answers to the malaise, with little done to fix the lack of width and lack of ideas. At a time when they needed to prove they had something else to unlock the Chelsea defence, they just continued to do their thing, almost expecting the Blues to slip up somewhere along the line. They didn’t.

With time beginning to run thin, Messi teed up Sanchez to slot home, but the Argentine had been in an offside position. Seconds later, he thundered a shot from range off the post. It was the best they’d had to offer since the penalty miss.

Chelsea defended well, but Barca ultimately got what they deserved, and their six days from hell reached a new low in injury time when Fernando Torres broke away from his own half to clinch the tie. Their dream of back-to-back European titles has eluded them once more, and while in 2010 they went out at the same stage with a gripe over a winning goal that wasn’t given, they can have no complaints this time.

Their football continues to astound most football followers, but when all is said and done, Chelsea’s 10 men were not stretched as they should have been. This was a lesson in not making opponents work harder to keep you out. One of the best footballing sides in the game’s long history mustered two good chances in the entire second half.

Whether Barca have been at their very best at all this season is open to opinion, but they certainly haven’t been in the past week. And tonight was their nadir. They all but lost their La Liga crown on Saturday to their arch rivals Real Madrid, but this one will hurt more, and particularly because of the manner of the defeat.

Barcelona stopped themselves from achieving an unprecedented double

No Clasico final, no Decima for Real Madrid or Mourinho, but brilliant Bayern deserve dream date in Munich

The Clasico dominated the football headlines at the weekend. Real Madrid beat Barcelona at Camp Nou on Saturday to edge towards La Liga and leave the Catalans stunned. But that was supposed to be the prelude; the main dish was still to be served as Spain's top two were destined to meet in the Champions League final.

But it hasn't happened. Remarkably, neither of the two Spanish sides have made it through to next month's showpiece. So there'll be no Clasico final, no Barcelona double, no third title for Jose Mourinho and no 10th European Cup triumph for Real Madrid, either.

Chelsea had advanced following an improbable win in Catalunya on Tuesday. And like Barca, Madrid needed to overcome a one-goal deficit in order to return to Munich in May. But as Barcelona had done just a night earlier, Real succumbed at the final hurdle, too.

This match could not have been more different to the Camp Nou clash, though, which had seen Chelsea camped on the edge of their area for much of the night. Here, two giants of the game went on the attack in an an extraordinary exhibition of flowing football - at least in the opening 45 minutes that is.

Hero to villain | Cristiano scored twice but missed a crucial spot-kick in the shoot-out

The first half was scintillating stuff: Madrid went ahead after just six minutes after David Alaba was harshly penalised for handball in the area and Cristiano Ronaldo did what Lionel Messi failed to do on Tuesday, coolly converting from the spot.

The Portuguese then doubled Real's advantage after 14 minutes and there was some controversy about that one, too, as the Portuguese was marginally - albeit by a fraction and impossible to appreciate in real time - offside as he received a clever through-ball from Mesut Ozil after Bayern's back line had been pulled out of position. Ozil and Ronaldo had combined to hand Madrid victory in the Clasico at Barcelona on Saturday, and the same two linked up again to thrust Jose Mourinho's men into a winning position in this one.
But Bayern are made of strong stuff and the Bavarians had been unfortunate to go two down. And after 27 minutes, they had a penalty of their own as Pepe was adjudged to have shoved Mario Gomez in the area and Robben stepped up to beat his former team-mate and World Cup nemesis Iker Casillas from the spot - albeit only just.

The first half provided an enthralling, end-to-end encounter, with changes for both sides and a high-tempo battle in a rocking and thumping Bernabeu. But the second period was tense virtually from the outset as the two teams realised exactly what was at stake. Bayern had the majority of the possession and looked the better of the two; indeed, Gomez squandered the chance of the half as he got the ball stuck under his feet when all alone in the area and the gaping goal at his mercy.

Madrid looked tired as the game entered its final stages. Mourinho had made just one change to the side which had beaten Barca and this was one match too many. The home side upped the tempo in the first half of extra time, but it had become a cagey contest by now and penalties looked inevitable as Bayern finished the stronger.

Mourinho had seen his Chelsea side lose out to Liverpool on spot kicks in the 2007 semi-final, and they got off to the worst possible start in this shoot-out, as both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka saw their penalties brilliantly saved by Manuel Neuer low down to his right, and Bayern went into a 2-0 lead from which Real could never recover. Sergio Ramos then blasted over the bar and Bastian Schweinsteiger slotted home to end Madrid's hopes of La Decima this time around and send the Bavarians forward to a dream date at their home ground, the Allianz Arena, on May 19.

With Barca out of the way, it had been a glorious opportunity for Mourinho's men, but the Germans had been the better side in both games and fully deserved to advance. So it is Jupp Heynckes, a man fired by Madrid after winning their eighth European crown in 1998, and not Mourinho, who will seek this season's top prize.

There'll be no Barca, no Madrid, no Clasico, no Messi and no Ronaldo. Europe's elite extends beyond the Clasico.

Mourinho misses out on Chelsea reunion as Real Madrid are shot down by Bayern

So Chelsea won't face Jose Mourinho in the Champions League final, but after a semi-final of the utmost drama in Madrid, the occasion may well still be a Special One.

On May 19 in Munich, Jose Mourinho and the players that used to idolise him at Stamford Bridge won't come face with each other on the greatest stage in club football after his Real Madrid team lost to Bayern Munich on penalties at Santiago Bernabeu.

Be it flirting from afar or battling head-to-head, the Portuguese boss and Chelsea remain intrinsically linked, but this year they will continue as star-crossed lovers.

When Mourinho announced to his players that he would be leaving west London in September 2007 it never really looked like the end of their great love story. It was a bolt from and to the Blues.

At the time, Didier Drogba cried in the dressing room. John Terry, as is so often his wont on the pitch, remonstrated with club officials, desperate to keep the man who had brought the league title to Stamford Bridge for the first time in half a century and kick-started Roman Abramovich's revolution.

"People can't understand how much I love Chelsea," said the Real coach in March. "I'd love to play them in the final."

That dream slipped through his fingers however, as he slumped to his knees in the Bernabeu technical area and watched Bastian Schweinsteiger send the Bavarians through from the spot.

For Mourinho, the opportunity to parade the prize that Roman Abramovich wants more than any other will have been tantalising. Indeed, when his Inter side knocked the Blues out at Stamford Bridge at the last 16 stage two years ago, the self-proclaimed Special One insisted that he took no pleasure in ending the Russian oligarch's Champions League dream.

"I love Chelsea, I love this stadium, I love these people but I am a professional," said Mourinho after the 1-0 win for the Italians in west London, securing a 3-1 victory on aggregate.

"I celebrated a lot in the dressing room. I'm happy because I won. I am not happy my ex-players lost, because Roman [Abramovich] lost or because the fans go home unhappy."

But Mourinho, you sense, never forgets. His house-hunting trip to London earlier this season amid the final weeks of Andre Villas-Boas' unsuccessful reign merely demonstrated the Portuguese's tendency to relish in his former club's turmoil.

He would never admit it, but beating Chelsea, no, beating Abramovich in Munich next month would have been on his mind.

Instead, Chelsea will face Bayern, a team who, like the Blues, had their own task deemed by some to be nearly impossible in the semi-finals.

Jupp Heynckes' side, like Di Matteo's men, have seen their domestic title in the arms of another side for successive seasons, yet with the world awaiting a Clasico in Bavaria, neither of world football's supposed two greatest teams will participate.

It will be a showpiece that not many will have expected when the semi-final draw was made in March and Chelsea will enter it with heightened expectations, be them foolish or not. For now they have avoided Mourinho. The reunion will have to wait.

Resilient Neuer defies the critics with another Champions League gem: This is why Bayern signed him

It all started with a swing and a miss. Manuel Neuer received a back-pass, attempted a clearance, and only the breeze from his passing foot made the ball move at all. He's too inexperienced on the big stage, a goalkeeper for a good, but never an elite club - definitely not in the class of Iker Casillas or Gianluigi Buffon.

Yeah, right.

After his embarrassing moment, Neuer grew in confidence. Many might have blushed for the rest of the match, but the Germany No. 1 - like the rest of his Bayern Munich team-mates - gained his composure after going 2-0 down to Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final second leg at the raucous Santiago Bernabeu.

Bayern after the quarter-hour appeared destined for defeat, but looked the better side afterwards and deservedly pulled a goal back. The visitors should have won it before extra time, but the score remained 2-1 through 90 minutes, and even 120.

Neuer had only a few chances to show himself before the shoot-out, but waited patiently. Then, in a head to head with Casillas, the ex-Schalke shot-stopper came out on top - and emphatically at that.

Four efforts came Neuer's way: only one found the net. To begin the shoot-out, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to the spot. Buoyed by two goals he scored in the opening minutes, including a penalty, as well as the opportunity to gain an edge in his rivalry with Lionel Messi, the Portuguese arrived with confidence. He struck a good kick towards the lower-left corner. But Neuer pounced to his right, extended his arm, and stole the limelight.

Another former World Player of the Year was next up for Real Madrid in the form of Kaka. The Brazilian aimed for the same corner, and again, Neuer made the stop.

For the third, Xabi Alonso coolly took his spot-kick, waiting just long enough for Neuer to dive. He scored: an excellent effort from a wise and cool player.

But then came the notoriously nervy Sergio Ramos, who - perhaps spooked by Neuer's previous saves - blasted high over the bar, and nearly out of the Bernabeu itself. Bastian Schweinsteiger converted the next kick for Bayern, and the Germans advanced 3-1 on penalties.

On the whole, Neuer has had a frustrating first year at Bayern. He went 1147 minutes without conceding earlier this season, but a blunder or two has prompted hefty criticism. Arguably, youngsters Bernd Leno and Marc-Andre ter Stegen have outperformed him in the Bundesliga.

This season, Neuer has had to adjust to playing for an elite team, a job that is quieter than it was at Schalke. In Gelsenkirchen, he was constantly in the spotlight, and always had the chance to showcase his talents. His defence was notoriously poor, and nearly every game he'd have a one on one (or 10) to defend. At Bayern, a busy game might require one or two saves. On aggregate performance, he has been more worldly this season than in the past.

At Schalke, he gave some memorable performances in the Champions League. Manchester United fans will remember his heroics at the same stage last season, but arguably the best performance of his career came in 2007, when he single-handedly led his side to an improbable advancement at the expense of Porto.

At Bayern, Neuer hasn't had the same opportunities as before. But finally, on the grand stage of the Champions League semi-final and facing arguably the greatest team in the world, the 26-year-old had his chance, and took it. In a week in which Ronaldo and Messi were tipped for greatness, it was the Bayern goalkeeper who stepped up and made his mark.

To simplify Neuer's impact into a couple ofpenalty saves would be a mistake, overlooking critical psychological elements. After seeing two shots saved before, Ramos was clearly worried about producing a saveable shot. Instead, he aimed for a much more difficult location than he otherwise might have, and missed. In effect, Neuer's first two saves might as well have stopped another.

More important, however, was the keeper's effect on Bayern as a whole. In previous years, with Thomas Kraft or Hans-Jorg Butt between the posts, the outfielders might have felt they needed a winner before penalties - especially when facing an elite shot-stopper such as Casillas.

During extra time, however, Bayern did not lose their composure, they did not overextend themselves looking for a winner. They did not defend too deep, but it appeared that they were eyeing up a shoot-out, a testament to their trust in Neuer. Their trust, as well as that of the Bayern board, was repaid in full on Wednesday night in the Spanish capital as they had a world-class performance from a world-class goalkeeper.

And, when two equally-matched teams faced off, that was the difference.

From Zidane's headbutt to Terry's knee: The stupidest red cards of all time

In what was a moment of absolute madness, John Terry's decision to raise his knee to Alexis Sanchez's back after 37 minutes of Chelsea's Champions League semi-final second leg clash against Barcelona was undoubtedly one of the craziest red cards in the history of the competition.

If he thought that missed penalty in Moscow back in the 2008 final was enough of a burden, the sending off against Barca would have surely haunted the Blues skipper for the rest of his life had his team-mates failed to hold out against the constant barrage of Barca attacks.

Fortunately for Terry, an heroic defensive display and two moments of inspiration from Ramires and Fernando Torres saved the England centre-back's bacon but after what can only be described as sheer stupidity on the part of the 31-year-old defender, Football Encyclopedia takes a look at nine other ridiculous red cards.

BECKHAM LASHES OUT (1998)

Argie bargie | Beckham's infamous trip on Simeone in the 1998 World Cup

CARRAGHER IN COIN CONTROVERSY (2002)

Carra-grrr | The Liverpool defender is dismissed for throwing a coin at the Arsenal fans

BOWYER & DYER EXCHANGE BLOWS (2005)

Infighting | Newcastle duo both see red for their on-field scrap against Villa

A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ROONEY (2005)

Claps the way to do it | Rooney applauds his way into a red card against Villarreal

ROBBEN'S LACK OF CROWD CONTROL (2006)

One for the fans | Robben is sent off shortly after scoring the winner at Sunderland

ROONEY RUBBER-STAMPS ENGLAND EXIT (2006)

Stamparooney | Rooney is sent off for a stamp on Portugal's Carvalho

ZIDANE LOSES HIS HEAD (2006)

Butting in | Zidane's headbutt on Materazzi earned him a World Cup final red card

SCHOLES' HANDY WORK LANDS HIM IN TROUBLE (2008)

Give him a hand | Scholes is shown a second yellow for palming the ball into the Zenit net

SLAP-AN IBRAHIMOVIC (2012)

A Swede in a pickle | Ibrahimovic is sent off for slapping Aronica during a Serie A match

TERRY'S KNEED-LESS RED CARD (2012)

Not Terry good | Chelsea skipper sees red for a knee to Alexis Sanchez's back