Eto'o says steward hurled abuse

English Premier League leaders Chelsea denied yesterday that any of their staff had taunted Barcelona players with racist abuse after the London side's Champions League victory.

Barcelona's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o told reporters a Chelsea steward had hurled abuse at him as he left the pitch on Tuesday night.

"One of the stewards called me a monkey... this is the mentality of this club," Eto'o said.

However, Chelsea, who won the tie 5-4 on aggregate, said in a statement: "Chelsea utterly refutes any racist comments were made by any of its permanent or matchday staff. Chelsea has an excellent record of supporting anti-racism campaigns and condemns any form of racism."

A scintillating match was marred by angry scenes near the tunnel afterwards with stewards hurrying Barcelona players off the pitch.

A plastic bottle was thrown from the area of the crowd where Barcelona fans sat as Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich made his way to the dressing rooms.