Lampard will take Terry’s place as captain in Munich but insists banned leader will be involved

The Blues arrived back in London yesterday after producing one of the greatest recoveries in the history of European football in the semi-final second leg.

Chelsea’s comeback from 2-0 and a man down to score a 3-2 aggregate success was astounding as they beat the side some had hailed as the greatest of all time in their own backyard.

They did so after captain Terry saw red eight minutes before half-time for inexplicably kneeing Alexis Sanchez in the back.

Terry must wait until May 31 to learn the precise length of his suspension but he will definitely sit out the May 19 final in Munich thanks to his moment of madness.

Lampard, who will captain the side and look to lift the trophy in the defender’s absence, said: “I’m gutted for him because everyone knows how much Chelsea is in his heart.

“On TV, it looks a bit worse than what it was. I don’t think there’s any real malice in it.

“I know John more than anything will want to be involved in that final.

“So, if we win it – or whatever happens on the day – John will be right there with us all, and he’ll be celebrating if we win it.”

The same applies to Ramires, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles, all of whom picked up bookings which rule them out of the Allianz Arena showdown against Bayern Munich, who defeated Real Madrid on penalties.

“You’ve got to feel for all of them and they’re massive players that we’ll miss,” Lampard added.

“I don’t know what to say, really. That’s horrible for them individually.

“We have to fill those holes when the game comes around.

“Whether we win or lose, those players who miss the final take complete credit for being involved anyway.”

Having lost Terry after already seeing Gary Cahill limp off injured, Chelsea could have been forgiven for throwing in the towel.

Lampard admitted even his own friends gave up hope.

He said: “Looking back at some messages I had at half-time, my mates were messaging each other saying, ‘It’s going to be impossible now’, and I can see what they were thinking.

“But we believed a little bit and, as the game went on, our resolve got even stronger.”

The England midfielder, who joined the Blues almost 11 years ago, added of the result: “It’s the greatest at Chelsea that I’ve been involved in and probably ever.

“I know it’s not a final, I know there’s no medals on the table yet. But, as a one-off, it’s absolutely huge.”

Such has been the manner of Chelsea’s revival since caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo replaced sacked manager Andre Villas-Boas just over seven weeks ago, it is tempting to think their long wait for Champions League glory is destined to end this season.

“I wish it worked like that,” Lampard said.

“Football has ups and downs across the board, not just this year.

“I have had ups and downs throughout my career. You have to keep your head in difficult times.

“We have all had to do that at times this season. For a Chelsea that has had a ‘bad’ season, we haven’t done too bad so far.”

Having masterminded a Champions League semi-final victory over Barca and led Chelsea to the FA Cup final as well, Di Matteo has gone from rank outsider for the manager’s job to one of the favourites.

Lampard said: “I can’t speak highly enough of him. Look at our record – it’s not a coincidence. He has got the group with an atmosphere, he has created a spirit and determination.”

Fernando Torres came off the bench to seal the aggregate win, by far the £50m striker’s finest hour in a Chelsea shirt.

The Spain international has an impressive record against Barca, netting seven goals in 10 league appearances for Atletico Madrid.

“I was not expecting to have any chances,” he said. “I was playing almost as a left-back.”