Antonio Conte rued a ‘clear penalty’ on Marcos Alonso not being given to Chelsea against Barcelona but accepted ‘super top’ Lionel Messi decided the tie.
Alonso appeared to be pushed by Gerard Pique in the Barca’s, but the referee felt the left-back went down too easily as Messi’s brace handed the Catalans a 3-0 victory to knock Chelsea out of the Champions League.
“Tonight in the two legs, Lionel Messi made the difference,” the Blues boss told BT Sport after the game.
“We are talking about the best player in the world. Over the two legs we were a bit unlucky.
“We hit the post four times. In our best moment today they scored. They were very clinical. We created many chances.
“We are talking about a player [Messi] that every season he scores 60 goals. We are talking not about a top player but a super top player. He made the difference.
“We have no regrets. I must be pleased for the commitment. They gave everything tonight. We didn't deserve to lose 3-0.
“During the game, from the bench and for me it was a clear penalty on Marcos Alonso. We have to go and move on and to prepare for the game against Leicester on Sunday.”
