I tell you this. If the game was at 1-0 to Barcelona and Van Persie had shot after the flag was raised then he would have not been sent off. With the advantage in Barcelona’s favour the

Barcelona were the better side on the night, they created the chances and deserved their goals. Our attacking play did not represent the quality we had on the pitch and over the two legs Barcelona deserve to be in the next round of the Champions League.

I should not be writing this absolutely filled with rage.

At 1-1 the pendulum had swung back in Arsenal’s favour. As soon as Sergio Busquets headed into his own net following an inswinging corner the game had changed. Arsenal had been given a mental lift and Barcelona would have been concerned about being exposed on the break.

I tell you this. If the game was at 1-0 to Barcelona and Van Persie had shot after the flag was raised then he would have not been sent off. With the advantage in Barcelona’s favour the referee would feel absolutely no need to dismiss our center forward.

The referee made his intentions crystal clear when he swiftly pulled out the yellow card for Koscielny and kept his yards firmly in his pockets when Alves scissor tackled Samir Nasri.

Even with 11 players on the pitch Barcelona could have wrestled back the advantage and won the game fair and square but we will never know.

We were having plenty of trouble finding an outlet when Van Persie was on the pitch so when he was atrociously red carded our task was made almost impossible.

One selection I disagreed with was the inclusion of Tomas Rosicky who didn’t do an awful lot wrong but he was not an outlet for the team. Without the pace of Walcott we could have done with a player like Emmanuel Eboue who could have raced onto slipped passes down the side of Adriano.

We needed someone who could run, someone to relieve us of the constant pressure that was being put on our defence. Whilst I was a minority voice pre match, I think Denilson would have given us more options in keeping the ball. Keeping possession is his strength and when the opposition have so much of the ball then you need to keep it on the few occasions that you do get it back.

Those changes may have made absolutely no difference and it is easy to argue anything you like in hindsight but watching the game I strongly felt that different personnel may have made some positive difference.

We rarely got out of Barcelona’s intense pressing and it meant that the ball and pressure kept coming back to our defence. Johan Djourou was immense on the night and almost single handedly kept Barcelona out at times with last ditch tackles, Koscielny was also fantastic on the night.

Our defending on the night reminded me of Birmingham City’s defending in the Carling Cup final. Cesc, Wilshere and Diaby moved together in a trio as a shield for the defence and it worked very well until Cesc Fabregas’ ridiculous back heal just outside our penalty box just before half time. I was crossing my fingers that we could reach half time goalless, we might have been able to build on that but someone as experienced as Cesc should have known better.

Iniesta read his intentions, his feet and dinked pass into Messi was top class. Messi’s flick over substitute Manuel Almunia was what you expect from the best player on the planet and the finish was then easy.

After the card it was a case of Barcelona attack against Arsenal defence, Manuel Almunia deserves a huge amount of credit for some stunning saves time and time again.

Barcelona’s second goal was well worked and Xavi found himself in the box, his shot deflecting off the unlucky Bacary Sagna and into the net.

I cannot remember a time watching the game where I felt so incredibly cheated and angry, believe me I have felt that pretty often over the last few years. I found it difficult to focus on the game with so many expletives following out of my mouth at the referee and the people above him.

If Lionel Messi shoots at Almunia after the flag has been raised then absolutely nothing happens. The play continues, not one single person in this universe would be able to convince me otherwise. I do not believe that it was the intimidation of the crowd and I do not believe that it was an honest mistake. Van Persie shot at goal one second after the referee blew the whistle. He did not blast it into the crowd, he did not chip it over the bar to waste time.

Our everyday life is corrupt, money often comes before lives so why should football be any different?

Remember back to when Chelsea got mugged far worse than we did against the same opposition at Stamford Bridge. Some of those decisions on that night were beyond baffling and now it makes plenty of sence.

Barcelona are the team that people want to watch, Barcelona are the team that generate the cash.

Three minutes after Xavi’s goal Barcelona scored the goal that gave them back the advantage that everyone in the world apart from Arsenal fans wanted. Laurent Koscielny’s outstretched leg caught Pedro and the referee unsurprisingly got his decision correct as it was the home side who gained the advantage.

Messi rolled the ball past the wonderful Almunia and into the corner of the net. Arshavin came on for Rosicky but I felt he was playing too deep on the right to make any real impact. He needs to be around the penalty area with players ahead of him to make a difference.

Cesc Fabregas was replaced on 76 minutes for Nicklas Bendtner and it will be a game to forget for our captain. Luckily he is not Diaby or Denilson so his misjudgment will be forgotten about and he will be rightfully supported as each and every member of our squad should. Barcelona stifled him in both games and I am sure he will be upset with that.

With four minutes to go we could have scored the decisive second goal which would have seen us go through. Jack Wilshere who once again stepped up on such a big stage, drove forward and flicked to Bendtner who was in a great central position, his first touch went away from him which allowed Mascherano to get back and disrupt his stride, Valdes came out and smothered the ball.

Bendtner needed one sure first touch and then an early slot into the corner. It is hard to imagine Van Persie not bringing Wilshere’s pass under his spell but it would be unlikely that Van Persie would have still been on at that stage after just returning back from injury.

From then on Barcelona kept the ball and Arsenal who had 35 minutes chasing around the ball with 10 men were exhausted. Barcelona go through to the next round.

Conclusion

Barcelona were the better team on the night, they pushed us hard and peppered our goal but Arsenal were not allowed the smash and grab result. When Arsenal gained the advantage the referee jumped in and gave the best team in the world a helping hand. Why do Barcelona need a helping hand at home?

It was a difficult game for so many players but I am proud of them all. Not being able to play your game under such intense pressure is a difficult task for any side.

Johan Djourou, Laurent Koscielny, Gael Clichy, Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri did themselves proud and if one or two more managed to reach their levels then we may just have done it.

11 vs 11 against Barcelona at the Camp Nou is the hardest job in football. 12 vs 10 is impossible.

I do not believe that it will be the last decision to go against us this season so we need to make sure we are at our best at least in terms of effort in every single game from now on. We cannot afford to conserve energy, now we have to put ourselves in the best possible position so that decisions do not make such an impact. Easier said than done of course, but if we want to win trophies this season then that must be our aim.

I didn’t think I could love the Arsenal anymore than I already do, but nights like that make my connection to this wonderful club even stronger.

Szczesny (7)
Sagna (6)
Djourou (8)
Koscielny (7.5)
Clichy (7)
Diaby (4.5)
Wilshere (7.5)
Cesc (4.5)
Rosicky (5)
Van Persie (6)
Nasri (7)