Chelsea v Barcelona: Gerard Pique admits referee got it wrong

Chelsea were left frustrated after Andres Iniesta's last-gasp equaliser sent Barcelona through on away goals and set up a clash in Rome against Manchester United, where Pique was until last summer before he moved to the Nou Camp. And a sense of injustice pervaded at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea had four good claims for a penalty turned down, the clearest cut Pique's handball.  Related ArticlesChelsea vent fury at refereeInjustice will sicken ChelseaChelsea v Barcelona: Man markingChelsea v Barcelona: ReactionChelsea v BarcelonaRef's semi-final meltdown'To be fair, it touched my hands but it was not deliberate,' Pique said. 'The referee can decide what he wants and you have to respect the decisions. Sometimes they are wrong. 'I'm just happy that I'm through to the final.' Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba also claimed they were fouled in the area, while Samuel Eto'o also handled but referee Tom Henning Ovrebo did not point to the spot. It meant Chelsea headed into stoppage-time with just Michael Essien on the scoresheet before Iniesta found the top corner to spark manic celebrations in the away section. 'There are no words to describe how happy the team is,' Pique said. 'A team like this, trying to attack all the time, cannot go 180 minutes without scoring. It was in the last minute but it was enough.' With Chelsea leading, Barcelona had Eric Abidal sent-off for a professional foul on Nicolas Anelka and manager Pep Guardiola was surprised that opposite number Guus Hiddink did not then try to kill the game with a second. 'They created chances on the counter-attack but they were conservative,' he said. 'We showed a lot of strength and bravery and hung on. 'It was difficult to play against Chelsea 11 against 11 and we played 11 against 10. I can understand the feeling of Chelsea because they had Rome there and in the last minute we can take it.' Barcelona will be without Dani Alves for the final after the fullback picked up a yellow card to trigger a suspension. 'He was happy that he played all the games this season,' Guardiola added. Pique, meanwhile, is left relishing the prospect of a Champions League final against his former club. 'It means a lot,' Pique said. 'It will be special because I had three good years there, maybe I didn't play a lot but they were important years for me.' 

Source: Telegraph