‘Bottles were flying’ – Mikel Obi reveals dressing room chaos after 2009 UCL game with Barcelona

John Obi Mikel has opened up on the carnage in the Chelsea dressing room moments after their controversial Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Barcelona in 2009.

The last-four encounter at Stamford Bridge was infamously branded a ‘f***ing disgrace’ by Didier Drogba on live television, after referee Tom Henning Ovrebo had ignored four penalty appeals from the hosts on the night.

Barcelona won the second leg of the semi-final tie with the Blues on away goals thanks to a late strike by Andres Iniesta, while Ovrebo admitted years later that he made several mistakes during the encounter.

Mikel, now at Stoke City, recalls how the chaos on the pitch spilled over into the tunnel and dressing room at Stamford Bridge on that night.

With tempers boiling over on the pitch, Mikel, who was an unused substitute for the match, recalled how those feelings of anger and fury carried over into the Chelsea dressing room, which saw tables being ‘smashed’, bottles being launched along with a lot of screaming moments after the game.

“It was chaos in the tunnel and the dressing room afterwards, Bottles, things flying everywhere. Tables were being smashed. Everyone was shouting and screaming.

“Mind you, one could say that was normal after that Chelsea team lost games. I don’t know about now but losing back then was definitely not acceptable at all… but that was a really crazy night. Drogba lost it on the pitch and then it just carried on from there” the former Chelsea midfielder told The Athletic.