Drogba Blasts Chelsea to Moscow Showdown

The road to the final against Manchester United in Moscow on May 21 was as long and hard as Chelsea expected. In their third Champions League semi-final against Liverpool since 2005 the Stamford Bridge team have vanquished Rafael Benítez's side at last. They went ahead for the second and conclusive occasion in the eighth minute of extra time with a Frank Lampard penalty.

The midfielder was remarkable for the concentration he mustered on his return to football after the death of his mother. In the 98th minute, the substitute Sami Hyypia tripped Michael Ballack as he ran along the fringe of the area. Lampard drilled the penalty home low to José Reina's left. Durable Liverpool were broken beyond repair and after 105 minutes Didier Drogba slotted in a fine cross from the substitute Nicolas Anelka for his second goal of the game. An astonishing 35-yarder from the substitute Ryan Babel cut Chelsea's lead three minutes from the end, but there were no more miracles left in Liverpool.

A change of competition changes every-thing. Once again, Liverpool began in the self-confident fashion lacking when they arrive at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Their status as winners and finalists in the European Cup since 2005 is no fluke. Defying all stereotypes about pragmatism and sterile tactics, they also happened to be the leading scorers in the competition this season, with 27 goals before the fixture with Chelsea.

Their manager had the long haul in mind. Putting a premium on experience, Benítez started with Yossi Benayoun on the left of midfield in preference to Babel. The Dutchman, in the quarter-final with Arsenal at Anfield, made his impact by coming off the bench to win the key penalty before scoring a goal of his own.

All the same, the visitors had not come to Chelsea purely to display their patience. Liverpool had the edge in the initial phase and conviction then in their pursuit of an away goal. Benítez must have seen promise in the inside-right channel, perhaps because his opposite number Avram Grant had accommodated a midfielder, Michael Essien, at full-back in that area.

Torres, in any case, got through the gap in the 10th minute, but the angle was acute and his drive simply banged off the goalkeeper Petr Cech. Chelsea's attempt to frame a response were always bound to have a prominent part for Drogba. Benítez is meant to motivate his own players but the accusation that the Ivory Coast striker is a diver galvanised an opponent.

If Chelsea were to go in front, Drogba had always been the most likely scorer.

Frank Lampard nearly set the striker free after 12 minutes and Martin Skrtel intervened at a price, picking up the knee injury that saw him replaced by Hyypia.

Lampard found Drogba once more in the 19th minute and the striker should not have pulled his effort wide. Typically for a scorer, he was to make the most of a less promising opportunity. With 32 minutes gone, the Liverpool right-back Alvaro Arbeloa was lax and appeals for off-side were spurned as Salomon Kalou moved on to another Lampard pass, slipped across Hyypia and forced a parry from José Reina. Drogba met the loose ball with conviction. Despite John Arne Riise and the goalkeeper in front of him he thrashed a tremendous drive low into the net through the merest hint of a gap at the near post

Liverpool's level of conviction still did not waver then, but Chelsea were enlivened. A free-kick came their way in the same position where Ballack and Drogba had squabbled with one another in last Saturday's victory over Manchester United. It could be that a protocol has been agreed since then. The German was undistracted and his effort pinged against the stanchion that holds up the nets.

The visitors had lost much of their early sharpness, but continued to have the willpower to occupy territory. Liverpool did pose a threat after 48 minutes. A Javier Mascherano chip was headed by Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt's stabbed attempt on goal was blocked before Ashley Cole put the loose ball behind. As was perhaps to be expected of rivals well-accustomed to one another, domination could not be upheld for long by either team in the midst of all the frantic challenges.

Lampard, all the same, was having a productive evening and a drive, following a cushioned pass from Ballack, was hit cleanly, but flew straight to Reina. The onus, nonetheless, was on the visitors to pepper the target. The Chelsea defence may have been just one obstacle, because there could have been a psychological barrier as well for visitors who had not scored at Stamford Bridge in eight games since Benítez was appointed.

Any nondescript period in this match was a joy to Chelsea, who wanted to see the evening frittered away with inconsequential football and the odd foul. Liverpool had enough finesse to deny Grant's team such ease and they were to equalize with a goal that vindicated Benítez's preference for Benayoun.

With 64 minutes gone, the Israeli had the tenacity and touch to escape three opponents as he cut in from the right to evade Makelele and Droga before feed- ing a pass beyond Ricardo Carvalho in the middle of Chelsea's central defence. Torres tucked it home calmly. The home side then had to rediscover their enterprise on an occasion when these adversaries were as hard as ever to separate.