The biggest question mark in tonight's game is over the two penalty shouts within a number of minutes towards the end for Chelsea, neither of which were given.
Taking them one-by-one, Ramires should have won a penalty. If Evra got anything on the ball it was marginal. His legs wrapped around Ramires', dragging the Brazilian to the ground. I didn't necessarily agree with the commentator who asked why would Ramires go down - the issue was never whether he dived, more whether Evra got a touch on the ball. By the letter of the law, Evra would have been shown the red card, putting an entirely new complexion on the tie.
So, penalty not given, but the most contentious point was the role of the extra official on the goal-line who had a clear unobstructed view and didn't appear to react to the challenge. If they aren't going to assist the referee, what's their point? I try to rely on my first instincts, and at first, from the angle on TV, I thought Evra may have got a touch on the ball, so maybe the referee should be given some leniency here.
The second decision was excellent. Torres effectively kicked Valencia before throwing himself to the ground. What made this decision even more impressive was that it was just minutes after the Ramires/Evra decision. To deny a home team one penalty takes guts, to deny them two in a matter of minutes takes cajones of the highest order
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