Barcelona vs. Chelsea: 7 Observations from the Semifinal Second Leg

What a night of football!

After Fernando Torres put the ball into an open net in stoppage time, Chelsea fans began to celebrate.

Up until that moment, nightmares of Andres Iniesta's extra-time winner from three years ago were racing through the minds of fans everywhere.

Before that, it seemed as though all the cards were stacked against Chelsea.

Gary Cahill left with an injury. John Terry earned an exit and put Chelsea down to 10 men, leaving Chelsea without both central defenders.

Then Barcelona went up two goals to nil, giving them the victory and a final berth. It seemed as though history would repeat itself for the Blues.

Then fate proved to smile fairer than history. Ramires put the end result on Chelsea's best chance of the night. The magical Lionel Messi missed a penalty that would have surely given Barcelona the victory.

Then the unlikeliest of heroes sealed Chelsea's place in the Champions League final. Truly one of the most exciting nights of football this season.

Here are seven observations from the Champions League semifinal match between Barcelona and Chelsea.

Monstrous Performance from Chelsea's Defense

Somehow "congratulations" just does not cut it. I am not sure there is any compliment that can be given to Chelsea that would do their performance justice.

For the second week in a row, Chelsea's defense—which consisted of every Chelsea player—was disciplined and tight throughout the evening.

Against one of the most dangerous attacks in all of football, Chelsea held strong enough to beat the mighty Barcelona.

Considering the fact that Chelsea lost its two central defenders to injury and a silly red card makes the entire team worthy of so much praise.

Yes, there were lapses at times and yes, far too many chances were still created. However, in the end, Chelsea stopped Barcelona from the three goals we expected they would have needed to move on to the final.

Many will complain that beautiful football lost out, but history does not remember style, it remembers victories.

The Risk-Taking Finally Caught Up with Pep

When Barcelona's lineup came out, I knew Barcelona would struggle to move on.

After the first leg and El Clasico, I said that if Cesc Fabregas is playing, Barcelona will lose. This was not because he seems to be allergic to trophies. Read my article here to see an explanation.

Fabregas was not the reason for the loss, but Pep fielding only two true forwards is. Only Alexis Sanchez and Lionel Messi were really dangerous attacking threats.

Isaac Cuenca has been great and had a solid match on the wings, but he is not a true forward. He was trained as an attacking midfielder at La Masia.

Pedro was once again left out, which is very surprising since he had finally started to catch form before being benched for the last three matches.

Yet again, there was not enough attacking variety in Barcelona's attack to break Chelsea's defense. Apparently they forgot that players are allowed to shoot from outside the box.

It was the same strategy of passing wide enough to open Chelsea's defense for a passing lane for one of Barcelona's many world-class passers.

When Pep did take off Fabregas, it was for Seydou Keita. Hardly the spark needed for Barcelona.

Chelsea held strong and their tight defense earned them a trip to the finals. Once again, a  well-executed counterattack put the pressure on Barcelona.

John Terry Deserved His Red Card

Shameful, foolish and unnecessary. Definitely not something we expect from Chelsea's captain.

Even after the great glorious win by Chelsea was complete, this moment remains controversial.

Some will defend his actions as either accidental of too light to warrant a red card, but it was the right call.

Terry kneed a player in the back off the ball and right in front of the linesman. That breaks the violent conduct code and deserves a straight red against any opponent.

"UEFAlona" theorists will relish this call, but that is unfair. Barcelona do not deserve to have fans attack them for another controversial call that they have no control over.

Also, if John Terry somehow comes out of this as some sort of victim, that would be an injustice to Chelsea.

In the end, the call did not matter because Chelsea's other nine men were very stout in defense.

Chelsea's discipline and counterattack, as well as Barcelona's lack of creativity, made sure Chelsea got the deserved attention instead of the referee.

Lionel Messi Disappoints

Yet again, Messi's penalty taking left something to be desired and the post proved to be one of Chelsea's most valuable players.

Perhaps his lack of rest has finally caught up to him. That is something else Pep will need to account for.

With a chance to all but seal the match after a controversial penalty was given in the second half, Messi's effort hit the post and was put out of the danger zone.

Even beyond the penalty miss, Messi had a very sub-par match. He did have the assist on Barcelona's second goal, but was rather quiet for much of the match.

I will say this. Many people have inaccurately and unfairly attacking Cristiano Ronaldo for not stepping up in big matches. Sadly, I am already seeing these unfair attacks shot at Messi.

Yes, he did have a poor outing against Chelsea, but the last four matches against Real Madrid were solid despite not scoring goals.

Additionally, he had two great matches in the Champions League finals and has more wondrous goals in the Champions League and Clasicos than we can count.

I ask that we be fair in our criticisms even if we are not fans of Messi—just as I asked for Ronaldo.

Yes, he had a poor match, but let us stop short of calling him a choker like we did with Ronaldo. Both players have proven not to be.

Fernando Torres Earning His Pay

What a moment for Fernando Torres. His was the goal that will be the image of Chelsea's victory over the defending European champions.

It is only fitting that the man who has taken so much flak from the media and the fans over the last year be the one to clinch Chelsea's place in the final.

So what does this mean for his reputation?

Yes, he scored the winning goal, but Chelsea would have moved on anyway. Just minutes before, he was being criticized for failing to move past Mascherano one-on-one.

The goal itself, while symbolic, was far from extraordinary. He received the ball at midfield with no defense and moved by Valdes to an open net.

I am sure some Chelsea fans were worried he would miss even this shot.

This is not to take anything from the goal. I hope that it went a long way for his confidence and in his recovery to his former level.

I just wonder what this lone goal will do for his image overall. Time will tell.

Barcelona's Defense Fails Them

Beyond the front three, Guardiola went with three defenders. Bold? Yes, but necessary.

This move was not quite as bold as many will make it out to be. Guardiola knew that Barcelona would yet again see every Chelsea player behind the ball.

Fielding Gerard Pique helped eliminate the threat of Chelsea's aerial threat while also adding Barcelona's best defender as the anchor against Chelsea's counter-attack.

When Pique went down and was taken to the hospital, it signaled the end. Just as in the first leg, it was Javier Mascherano who was responsible for the key pass in Chelsea's counterattack.

Mascherano was moved forward after swapping with Sergio to protect Puyol and Alves at the back. His sole job was to close the passing lane that would split the defenders. He was late getting into position and on the tackle.

Having Pique at the back would have helped against Ramires and left Puyol in front to close down the lanes.

Still, Chelsea deserves credit for the goal and the win. We cannot assume anything under different circumstances.

Chelsea's heart and attitude alone are worthy of victory.

Chelsea in Trouble for the Final?

Despite a truly gargantuan victory against one of the world's best clubs, Chelsea may be in trouble going into the final.

As it stands, they will be without at least John Terry, Ramires, Raul Meireles and Ivanovic. David Luiz and Gary Cahill could also struggle to find full fitness, even with the final being a month away.

Even if those two players are back, Chelsea may need to get a bit more creative. Barcelona struggled to break through their stout defense, but they still created lots of chances.

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich present very different beasts. Real Madrid will not suffer from being unable to shoot from distance or attack in a variety of ways.

If Roberto di Matteo chooses to park the bus in the final—which would not surprise many—Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are better built than Barcelona were to test Chelsea from a variety of ways.

An alternative strategy or at least some prepared adjustments could be needed.

Conclusion

This tie will go down as one of the all-time great upsets.

In a season when many thought Chelsea would crash out in the second leg of the quarterfinals and where Barcelona booked its spot in the final, Chelsea ends up the English club to have a chance at European glory.

To Barcelona fans, I say be gracious in defeat. Barcelona were outplayed by a stout and disciplined Chelsea defense. The failure to invest in defense, the lack of attacking variety and exhaustion weakened the side.

To Chelsea fans, I say congratulations! Many will attack the style and strategy of Chelsea en route to victory, but that does not matter. What matters is results and Chelsea got them.

What did you take away from this match? Any predictions for the final?

I look forward to hearing from you all and appreciate your comments.