Chelsea overjoyed at draw in Barcelona’s citadel

Barcelona 0 Chelsea 0. Guus Hiddink's Chelsea pulled off a feat that no other club has managed this season, preventing Barcelona from scoring at home and taking a vital psychological advantage back with them to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Barcelona started the tie at a ferocious pace, winning a free kick in the opening minutes that sowed utter confusion in the Chelsea box before Samuel Eto'o headed over. The visitors had attacks of their own, with Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba both going close in the first half, but Barcelona always looked in control and it seemed to be a matter of when the opener would be scored, not if.

Having reached half time with the scores level, the well-drilled Londoners were emboldened and continued their resolute defending while the Camp Nou faithful grew more and more agitated at their team's inability to score. The much-vaunted Lionel Messi was off his game, and Thierry Henry and Eto'o - who has recently been linked with Chelsea - also saw efforts saved.

It was only in the five minutes of added time that Barcelona seriously looked like they would take something from the game, as Barca substitute Alexander Hleb was foiled by Chelsea keeper Petr Cech and Henry had a point-blank effort saved. Hiddink will be delighted that his side bring the tie back to London all square and having punctured the myth of Barcelona's invincibility.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING
Kevin McCarra, the Guardian: "The resilience of Chelsea was formidable and it has preserved their hopes of a return to the Champions League final. A minor yet telling honour has been collected since they are the first visitors to keep a clean sheet at Camp Nou this season. Chelsea survived one vigorous penalty appeal and saw the substitute Bojan Krkic head over in stoppage time. After that, Petr Cech still had to block at the feet of another substitute, Alexander Hleb. This was, all the same, a highly practical exercise by the visitors, with no compunction shown about taking off Frank Lampard when the need was for fresh energy."

Matt Lawton, Daily Mail: "This, presumably, was the game Guus Hiddink imagined when he prepared for this Champions League encounter in the darkest recesses of his tactical mind. And this, presumably, was what he meant when he said reality can sometimes be cruel. Cruel, at least, to the team who tried to put on a perfect demonstration of their beautiful football at the Nou Camp last night. Hiddink went against his natural attacking instincts as well as his pre-match promises and instead met artistry with attrition, deploying a five-man midfield against the high-scoring Catalans and suffocating them in the process. Lionel Messi showed flashes of genius but never really got the chance to shine, and the same went for Andres Iniesta." ·