Emma Hayes will not end her Chelsea tenure with a Champions League title, and she has every reason to feel aggrieved about the way that journey ended, as the officials took centre stage in a controversial 2-0 defeat for her Blues at the hands of Barcelona on Saturday.
The reigning European champions had a 1-0 deficit to overturn from an historic loss in Catalunya last week and Aitana Bonmati levelled the tie on aggregate with only 25 minutes played, some individual brilliance creating the chance to strike before a deflection took her effort beyond Hannah Hampton. Barca seemed to smell blood at that point, piling on the pressure and enjoying a really good spell, but it would take until the latter stages for them to get that second goal.
That came after some chances for Chelsea, Catarina Macario testing Cata Coll, Sjoeke Nusken hitting the post and Melanie Leupolz inexplicably hitting the bar, albeit the latter from an opening that would have been pulled back for offside by VAR.
But it also came after the officials took centre stage, first by dismissing Kadeisha Buchanan just before the hour. The Canada star picked up a deserved booking for a foul on Salma Paralluelo, however a second caution that followed four minutes later was incredibly harsh. It was dubious as a free-kick, never mind a card, but the referee's mind was made up and Buchanan had to walk.
Barca struggled to really make that advantage count in truth, Chelsea doing well to restrict them despite the numerical disadvantage, until Bonmati burst into the box and went down under challenge from Ashley Lawrence. The contact wasn't huge but the referee had already pointed to the spot and, with that, it was unlikely that VAR would overturn the decision. Fridolina Rolfo wasn't going to pass up the opportunity and sent Hampton the wrong way from the spot to put her team ahead on aggregate.
Hayes went for it after that goal. Aggie Beever-Jones and Fran Kirby came on, centre-back Millie Bright made her return to action as a centre-forward and Erin Cuthbert was single-handedly holding down the midfield as the forwards bombed on. Yet, chances were hard to come by and, despite some set-piece opportunities, Chelsea didn't come close to a goal that would've kept the game alive.
Instead, it is Jonatan Giraldez who has the chance to go out on a high in the Champions League final next month, not Hayes. Barca will go to Bilbao looking to defend their European title for the first time, with an historic quadruple possibly to play for when they do so. Chelsea, on the other hand, now only have one piece of silverware left to play fr, and they'll give their all to ensure they do not let Hayes end her tenure with a trophy-less campaign.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Stamford Bridge...
