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LIVERPOOL FC: REDS CRASH OUT IN EXTRA-TIME

Liverpool's European dream is over for another year after extra-time goals from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba saw Chelsea book their place in Moscow with a 3-2 win (agg 4-3).

/noticias.info/ Rafa Benitez's side did what they'd never done before by scoring at Stamford Bridge through Fernando Torres to take the contest beyond 90 minutes, but it wasn't to be.

It's now Chelsea who'll face Manchester United on May 21 in the first all-English final in the European Cup's 53-year history.

Benitez, whose European record is unrivalled in British football, will no doubt have us all dreaming again in 12 months' time, while thoughts now turn to preparations for a renewed title push next term.

If truth be told, this game could have gone either way, with Chelsea dominating the first half, Liverpool the second.

Drogba, much criticised for play acting at Anfield, was a constant menace for the right reasons on home turf.

It was he who was first to test either goal with a speculative drive from 30 yards after just five minutes. The wet surface meant Pepe Reina had to watch the ball all the way but the Spanish stopper was equal to it.

Four minutes later Yossi Benayoun escaped a possible obstruction to carry the ball upfield. The Israeli searched for and found Gerrard in the box before, with a single touch, the skipper teed up Torres. El Nino looked set until suddenly the angle was against him and Petr Cech, so often the scourge of Liverpool in the first leg, was able to block.

Unfortunately, this was about it from the visitors in the opening 45 minutes as the Blues stepped through the gears.

Their powerful number 11 broke free once more, the Ivorian at the centre of everything the hosts did. At first it seemed Martin Skrtel had simply been outrun but the Slovak recovered with a fine tackle. The 23-year-old instantly clutched his leg, however, and his battle scar proved too severe to continue. Enter Sami Hyypia.

With the rain now driving down over south-west London, that man Drogba again found space in the box after a fine ball from midfield. Thankfully his tame shot trickled harmlessly wide, but the danger signs were there.

Michael Ballack, the star of Chelsea's victory over United at the weekend, was next to probe with a 25-yard hit which Reina did well to fist clear.

Then, on 32 minutes, disaster. A slip by Alvaro Arbeloa meant Liverpool were helpless to stop a searching ball down the left. Solomon Kalou was there - albeit with a hint of offside - to cut inside before forcing Reina into a world-class save. But who was waiting to pick up the pieces? Drogba.

Okay, his finish was smart, but his sliding celebration right in front of Benitez only added to his reputation as the kind of petulant rogue English football could well be better off without next season.

All that was left of the first half was the sight of Avram Grant stumbling backwards after a coming together with Gerrard, the Reds captain eager to recover the ball. Even the home support ventured a smile.

So, a mountain to climb in the remaining 45 minutes? Maybe, but in reality little had changed. Liverpool still needed to score.

They came close to doing just that within seconds of the restart when Javier Mascherano lofted the ball to Gerrard, who without looking headed across goal toward Euro star Dirk Kuyt. The Dutchman had scored in every round of this season's Champions League but was denied here by an excellent close-range save from Cech.

Periods of possession followed but Chelsea were proving a tough nut to crack. Mascherano, at last finding his stride, burst down the right on 59 minutes. The midfielder's delivery was impeccable but, with only Torres waiting in the danger area, the chance came and went.

Hope was fading with every second until, on 64 minutes, the tie was suddenly turned on its head. Benayoun, who'd just been switched to the right, majestically skipped past one challenge, then another, then another, while Torres lurked in the box.

The ball eventually came his way. Last week, with just Cech to beat, the Spanish ace was left with his head in his hands, but not this time. Torres dispatched with typical cool. One each.

Who said we couldn't score at the Bridge? Suddenly the rain had cleared and the travelling Kop, quiet by their own standards in the first half, were in full song.

A second could have followed minutes later as Liverpool appealed for handball in the box, but Italian referee Roberto Rosetti was having none of it.

With the game heading for extra-time, the sight of Gerrard strewn across the turf with apparent cramp brought to mind a certain night in May 2005.

And then the final whistle came. It was going to the wire. Again.

Chelsea looked to have restored their advantage when Michael Essien struck home just seconds after a phenomenal tackle by Jamie Carragher to stop Drogba. 'GOAL' read the Stamford Bridge scoreboard. But no. The linesman's flag was up.

The Blues were not to be denied much longer, however, and how apt it was that Lampard was the scorer just a week after the death of his mother Pat. Reina is perhaps the best penalty saver in the world but he could do nothing to stop the midfielder's well-struck hit after Hyypia's foul on Ballack.

It was game over on 105 minutes when a quick pass and move left the Reds stretched, with Drogba latching onto to substitute Nicolas Anelka's cross.

A 40-yard hit from Babel, an extra-time replacement for Torres, with four minutes to go proved a mere consolation.

So, Liverpool's quest for glory is over for another year. But, despite off-the-pitch distractions, there are plenty of positives which suggest the wait for number 19 could soon be over.

This has been a year when the search for a 20-goal striker finally ended, and some; a year when the most exciting partnership since Dalglish and Rush was formed; and a year when youngsters of the quality of Babel, Skrtel and Lucas Leiva showed promising signs of long and prosperous careers in English football.

So, today was not our day, but the signs are there that tomorrow could well be. Goodnight. YNWA.

Teams

Chelsea: Cech, Cole, Carvalho, Terry (c), Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Makelele, Cole, Drogba, Kalou. Subs - Anelka, Belletti, Cudicini, Malouda, Obi Mikel, Schevchenko,

Liverpool: Reina, Riise, Carragher, Skrtel, Arbeloa, Benayoun, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt, Gerrard (c), Torres. Subs - Babel, Crouch, Finnan, Hyypia, Itandje, Leiva, Pennant

Referee: Roberto Rosetti

Conditions:

Attendance: Unavailable

Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Javier Mascherano

Breakdown

18:45 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : Chelsea get the second leg of the semi final underway
2 mins : Drogba is on the floor - but this time it was a blatant foul and the home side have a free kick
3 mins : Cech drives a long goal kick down the field which bounces out for a goal kick to Liverpool
4 mins : It's the Liverpool fans who are making their voices heard in the early stages
5 mins : First shot of the game goes to Drogba who forces Reina to concede a corner
5 mins : The ball falls to Essien on the edge of the box but his early shot is well over
6 mins : Hand ball against Kalou gives us a free kick wide on the right in a good area
7 mins : Gerrard delivers the ball into the box but Drogba hacks the ball away to safety
9 mins : Great chance for Torres from a tight angle but Cech is out quickly to make a smart stop
13 mins : Reina is out quickly to clear his lines as Drogba threatens to burst through
15 mins : Carvalho bangs into Torres on the edge of the box, conceding a free kick to Liverpool in a great area. Can we make it count?
16 mins : Riise blasts the free kick straight into the wall - so disappointing
18 mins : Best chance so far as Makelele slips the ball to Drogba who fires low past the far post. Really bad miss
21 mins : Essien tries his luck from distance and forces Reina into a decent save
22 mins : Substitution: Sami Hyypia for Martin Skrtel: Skrtel hobbles off to be replaced by Hyypia
26 mins : Ballack stings Reina's fingers with a long range drive
27 mins : A corner for Liverpool but Carragher is penalised for a foul on Carvalho
33 mins : GOAL! Didier Drogba: Drogba blasts the ball home after Reina had saved from Kalou
40 mins : Liverpool need to recover their composure. The goal hasn't altered the game too much - we still need to score
41 mins : First Booking: Xabi Alonso:
42 mins : Ballack bends a free kick inches wide with Reina rooted to his goal
45 mins : One extra minute to be played
19:31 GMT : Half Time Reached
19:45 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Liverpool get the second half underway knowing they need to score
48 mins : Arbeloa is bundled over in the driving rain of west London
49 mins : Kuyt flicks the ball goalwards but Cech makes a fine save to keep the shot out
50 mins : Another scramble in the box as Liverpool pour forward looking for a goal, but Chelsea clear. Bright start to the second half from us
54 mins : Lampard hits a first time shot at Reina from Ballack's knock-back
54 mins : Lampard hits a first time shot at Reina from Ballack's knock-back
58 mins : Chelsea getting the upperhand again after Liverpool's early dominance in this second half. Just over half an hour to save our European dreams
61 mins : Good run and cross from Mascherano but Cech comes out to catch the ball
64 mins : Reina forced into action again as Cole hits a shot from distance
64 mins : GOAL! Fernando Torres: Torres slots home after great play by Benayoun to leave the tie on a knife edge again
69 mins : Substitution: Florent Malouda for Salomon Kalou:
76 mins : Essien bursts down the right and fires into the side netting from a tight angle
78 mins : Substitution: Jermaine Pennant for Yossi Benayoun:
86 mins : Lampard swings in a corner, Reina is fouled as he palms the ball away
88 mins : Gerrard is down in the closing stages and needs treatment
20:33 GMT : 90mins over - Extra Time Pending
20:37 GMT : Extra Time 1st Half Begins
91 mins : Liverpool get the first period of extra time underway
90 mins : Substitution: Nicolas Anelka for Joe Cole:
93 mins : Good chance for Hyypia as he heads wide from a well flighted corner
95 mins : Essien goal disallowed as four players are offside
97 mins : Penalty Scored! Frank Lampard: Lampard nets from the spot after a foul on Ballack by Hyypia
97 mins : Substitution: Ryan Babel for Fernando Torres:
105 mins : GOAL! Didier Drogba: Drogba slots home from close range to surely kill off Liverpool's European challenge for this season
20:55 GMT : End of 1st half of extra time
20:55 GMT : Start of 2nd half of extra time
106 mins : Essien heads behind his own goal to concede a corner
116 mins : GOAL! Ryan Babel: Babel's shot slips through Cech's fingers. Still a chance
118 mins : Substitution: Andrei Schevchenko for Frank Lampard:
21:11 GMT : Match Over notas_de_prensa_archivo