HRiver

Lampard truly is one of a kind. He's the emblem of this club, and I feel lucky and privileged to have been able to watch him (albeit not live, which is one of my life's biggest regrets), support him and enjoy all his goals for so many years. He's more than a legend. To me, he is the perfect footballer. And like I said in the match thread, this is up there with Munich for me. That minor pitch invasion by a group of fans was reminiscent of the Munich celebrations. And damn, I can't stop looking at the goals. During the game I went mental after both goals went in, but especially the first. A few seconds after that goal I looked outside the living room window (which I'd forgotten to close), and just as I suspected, one of our neighbours looked slightly worried, in fact he must've thought I was getting sodomized. But watching the goals now, I got goosebumps and I even cried a little, and that Arabic commentator helped make the video even more emotional ("al superr Frankkk", "al superr heerrooo"), it sounded like he was crying as well. I could spend the rest of the night watching the goals and I am sure they'd still give me chills.

How about that for a way to secure Champions League football for next season? Incredible. So happy for Frank. The minor pitch invasion after the second goal was reminiscent of the emotional celebrations in Munich.. this is right up there with Munich for me.

Chelsea FC - making teams like Aston Villa look like Manchester United, since 2013.

Well, if we win it they're going to look like idiots.

Only 6 goals in 20 games is still a disappointment in my book, no matter what.

The fact that Ba's topic is lower doesn't make him worse than Torres, what has made Torres better than him this season is his performances. I am not saying Torres has been good, but he is somewhere between above-average and good. I should've said slightly better in order to make that clearer. I wasn't trying to praise Torres, btw. The point I was trying to make is that, considering the hype that surrounded his move, so far Ba has been a disappointment. If I had to rate their seasons, I think if I was generous I would give Torres a 7. A 6 is the highest I'd give Ba.

I don't see that much quality in Ba, tbh (and I know I am going to get slated for saying this). Imo Torres has been better than him ever since he came. I was trying to find his thread in the 'Current Squad' subforum earlier and I had to go to the second page to find it, which imo speaks volumes. Furthermore, in a recent poll nobody voted him as the best signing of the season, and only one person voted him when asked 'Who do you see here in 5 years time?'. So, long story short, he has been above-average.

Legendary.

Of course he'll start in Amsterdam. Either him, or JT. One of them will start and will wear the armband, we're not going to play an European final without at least one of them starting, even with Benitez as the manager.

If we fail to beat a team like Aston Villa, in a game of such high importance, then we do not deserve to play in the Champions League.

He has done alright, but I will start to consider his stint here as somewhat successful only if he leads us to Europa League glory. Europa League + top 4 finish is better than simply a top 4 finish, which imo shouldn't really be considered an achievement.

I see the glass half empty, so definitely two points lost.

Fair result, but a very disappointing one at the same time. I loved that impressive football displayed in the first half, but what happened in the second? Please don't say we deserved the win, because we didn't.

Couldn't happen at a better time, really. He retires, Jose returns, we win the league next year - written in the stars.

Am I the only one here who thinks that Ramires is our dirtiest player? He does stuff like that in almost every game, and more often than not he seems to get away with it.

David Luiz's career at Chelsea so far: from impressive - to terrible (yes, at one point I genuinely thought he was our worst defender, and I still won't forgive him for that dreadful performance in Monaco) - to very good. Thanks to Benitez he has become a better player imo, I am no tactics expert but RDM probably gave him too much freedom, and with Luiz, Benitez has succeeded exactly where RDM had failed. Long story short, ever since Benitez came he has looked a lot more serious and determined, and I can't wait to see how committed he's going to be under Mourinho's management. His Drogba-esque way of taking free kicks is a bonus.

Bayern's new home kit, looks very similar to ours.

Moses to do a Joe Cole, Chicharito to score with his hand and then Torres to score a late offside goal.

And goalkeeper. Which is why I still prefer Oscar's goal, and I'm pretty sure his goal is going to win. Luiz's was sublime, but Oscar's still better imo.

I didn't really care about the Europa League, but I think I do now.

Alonso is superb and this could be a terrific signing, but since he is Liverpool through and through, I cannot see it happening.

I know Bayern totally raped them over both legs, and I am not saying this just because I am a Chelsea fan, but for me, our triumph last year > Bayern's domination this year. Don't get me wrong, Bayern were magnificent tonight and they've been all season, it's just that I prefer it the hard way in the Champions League. It's going to be one terrific final, by the way. Two great teams, can't wait for the game.

Oscar v Juventus, no doubt. Lampard v Newcastle would be my second choice.

My thoughts exactly.