Referee who cost Chelsea place in 2009 Champions League final admits to mistakes

Messi, Iniestaaaaaaaaaa!

Those words will haunt Chelsea fans, who will remember all too well the home leg of their semi-final tie agains Barcelona in the 2008/09 Champions League campaign. A series of refereeing errors from Tom Henning Ovrebo denied Chelsea the chance to get revenge against Manchester United are losing the 2008 final to them in Moscow. Blatant handballs were not given, infuriating the Chelsea players and fans alike to the extent that Michael Ballack chased Ovrebo down the pitch, shouting in his ear, for about 40 yards. Dider Drogba labelled the whole situation "a fucking disgrace", live on TV, and was subsequently banned. Nine years later, Ovrebo has admitted that his blunders in that match cost Chelsea the win. Speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, he said: "It was not my best day, really. But those mistakes can be committed by a referee… and sometimes a player or a coach. “Some days you’re not at the level you should be. I can’t be proud of that performance. “They were handball situations. I judged them on the pitch and I think it is not interesting to know what I think of those actions once judged. “Although I understand that people think differently to the decisions that I made at the time. That discussion will continue eternally."