Chelsea FC vs. Manchester United FC: Reactions to the Champions League Penalty That Never Was

Manchester United's victory at Stamford Bridge last night gives them the upper hand in their quarterfinal tie against Chelsea heading into Old Trafford next week.

United's performance was spot on and Rooney's goal was the difference on a night where Chelsea fans would definitely feel they were robbed of a penalty in the dying stages of the game. 

Chelsea looked set to earn a stoppage-time penalty after Patrice Evra brought down Ramires in the box, but Spanish referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco waved play on much to the annoyance of the Chelsea supporters and players. 

Manager Carlo Ancelotti questioned Mallenco's courage in failing to award a spot-kick and captain Terry appeared to feel even more strongly about the latest crucial decision to go against his side in the Champions League in recent seasons.

The decision ensures United taking a 1-0 lead back to Old Trafford which leaves Chelsea facing an uphill task to turn the tie around. 

Peter Cech was optimistic of his sides chances in the second leg, but refused to point out the incident as the turning point of the game.

Chelsea's official Web site quotes him saying, "Everybody has seen the tackle and you can see it clearly on the TV, but the most important thing is the referee didn't give it. We created enough to score a goal so we should have done better than this. We were unlucky with the decision, but we should have played better."

Apart from the penalty incident, the highlight of the game was the consistent lack of performance by Fernando Torres and his two dives in the penalty area, one of which earned him a yellow card.

On the night, Ancelotti's decision to bring on Nicholas Anelka in place of Didlier Drogba when Torres was clearly out of sorts and Drogba clearly presenting a danger to the opposition was another talking point which leaves many wondering what Drogba did wrong. Perhaps Torres' price tag had something to with the decision.