The Times
May 1, 2008

Act of bravery finally reveals true champion on a night of high emotion
Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2 (aet; 1-1 after 90min; Chelsea win 4-3 on agg)

Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent

What a player. What a man. What an absolute diamond of a footballer.
The critics, the haters, they cannot touch Frank Lampard now. Not
after last night. Not after that penalty. He won, they lost. He stood
tall, they skulked in the background.

The debate is over. The phone-ins, the message-boards, the sad little
snipers from outside the arena; what do they matter when set against
this, among the gutsiest acts from any athlete, across many decades?

Didier Drogba's second goal of the night may have ultimately made the
difference between the teams, once Ryan Babel's late goal confirmed
that there are no circumstances in which Liverpool will give up in
Europe, but it is Lampard's bravery that will stand in the memory of
all who witnessed this incredible match.

The scores were tied and extra time was eight minutes under way when
Sami Hyypia, the Liverpool defender, clumsily fouled Michael Ballack
just inside the penalty area and Roberto Rosetti, the Italian referee,
having moments earlier erased a goal from Michael Essien for offside,
pointed to the spot. At that moment, only those without an ounce of
humanity would not have felt a knot tightening in their stomach as
Lampard seized the ball.

Not just because a place in the Champions League final was at stake,
and to miss would almost certainly have handed the psychological
advantage, and the match, to Liverpool. Not just because Lampard is
still grieving for Pat, his late mother, who died last week after a
short illness, and his head must have been a swirl of conflicting
emotions. Not even because to take the penalty meant denying Ballack,
a German-born teammate with all that that implies, who has missed once
from the spot in his entire professional career.

For all of those reasons, for any one of them, everybody would have
understood had Lampard shrunk from the responsibility. Many, indeed,
would have preferred it. Lampard did not flinch. Somehow, Frank Sr,
his father, did not turn away either. Unlike some of Lampard's
teammates, and Fernando Torres, the Liverpool striker, he looked on,
eyes filled with tears, as his son scored, sending José Manuel Reina
the wrong way. Pat, your boy did you proud. It was, and will for ever
be, his career-defining moment.

And this was a defining match, too. It brought down the curtain on the
José Mourinho years at Stamford Bridge, because nobody can omit Avram
Grant, his replacement, from this achievement now.

Mourinho has been gone since September of last year but his spectre
lingers. This, however, is a triumph of Grant's own. He has managed
all but one of the matches that have taken Chelsea to Moscow and the
first all-English European Cup final, while Mourinho's contribution
was a disappointing home draw with Rosenborg, of Norway. Whatever the
arguments about the merit of Grant's appointment, this result means
that at the very least he deserves the right to be in charge at
Chelsea next season, and the chance to build his own team.

This also concludes the era in which it was considered impossible for
Chelsea to get past Liverpool in Europe, the single-goal margin of
victory belying the superiority of the home team. Chelsea were every
bit as dominant as Liverpool had been at Anfield last week and deserve
their journey east for the way that they refused to be intimidated by
history. It is Manchester United next, in the Barclays Premier League
and beyond. What a climax to the season these two will provide.

Were it not for the emotion surrounding Lampard, the night would have
belonged to Drogba. His integrity and honesty having been doubted by
Rafael BenÍtez, the Liverpool manager, going into this game - and with
just cause, it must be said - he responded with words before the match
and then deeds during it. No prizes for guessing what will have hurt
BenÍtez more. Drogba topped and tailed this victory, first with the
goal that broke the second-leg stalemate in the 33rd minute, then with
what proved to be the winner in the last minute of the first half of
extra time.

For lovers of the passing parade, Drogba's celebration was worth the
admission price alone. First, he mocked BenÍtez's words with a
belly-down dive towards the corner flag, then he rubbed it in with a
defiant knee-slide in front of the Liverpool bench that almost took
him into the arms of the Liverpool manager. You could say he milked
it. You could say a good many would, in the circumstances.

The goals were what mattered, though, and a pair of pearls they were.
The first came when Lampard put through Salomon Kalou on the left, and
he forced a save from Reina. The ball was parried, and Drogba was
there first, ahead of a surprisingly sluggish Liverpool defence. He
struck his low shot between Reina and the near post, a world-class
finish. Then, in extra time, with Chelsea leading 2-1, a shot from
Nicolas Anelka's cross on the right also left Reina with no chance. At
the time it seemed almost superfluous; by the time Babel had pulled
one back from 40 yards with three minutes remaining - the goal of the
night, yet redundant - the importance of Drogba's strike two could not
be underestimated.

In between this furious Chelsea activity, Torres scored after a fine
run by Yossi Benayoun, but this was not a happy night for Liverpool.
They had few good chances and looked particularly inoffensive in the
first half, which Chelsea dominated. It is testament to their
reputation in this competition, however, that before the extra-time
goals rained in, the noun that best summed up the mood at Stamford
Bridge was fear. Not in the soul of one man, though. When it mattered,
Pat's lad had courage enough for all.

Chelsea (4-3-3): P Cech — M Essien, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole — M
Ballack, C Makelele, F Lampard (sub: A Shevchenko, 119min) — J Cole
(sub: N Anelka, 91), D Drogba, S Kalou (sub: F Malouda, 70).
Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, J O Mikel, Alex, J Belletti.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): J M Reina — Á Arbeloa, J Carragher, M Skrtel
(sub: S Hyypia, 21), J A Riise — X Alonso, J Mascherano — D Kuyt, S
Gerrard, Y Benayoun (sub: J Pennant, 78) — F Torres (sub: R Babel,
98). Substitutes not used: C Itandje, S Finnan, P Crouch, Lucas Leiva.
Booked: Alonso, Arbeloa.

Referee: R Rosetti (Italy).


Key Battles

John Terry v Fernando Torres

There is no love lost between this pair. When they first locked horns
at Anfield in August, on Torres's home debut, the Liverpool forward
scored but also ruffled Terry's feathers with what the Chelsea captain
felt was a tendency to go to ground a little too easily. Terry seemed
to have snuffed out his opponent's threat for 63 minutes, but then
Torres briefly evaded his attention to score the away goal that
Liverpool so badly needed. It is hard to say who won this duel
overall, given that Torres scored, but Terry was certainly the one
smiling at the end.

Frank Lampard v Xabi Alonso

And guess what? These two are not best buddies, either. Ever since
Alonso's ankle was broken by a mistimed tackle by Lampard at Anfield
on New Year's Day 2005, they have brought out a belligerent side in
each other that seems contrary to their nature. There was no doubting
which of them had the upper hand, Lampard approaching the game as if
it was a personal odyssey after his recent bereavement. His passing
was far brisker and more purposeful than that of Alonso, who, one
excellent pass to Riise apart, did not look his usual self.
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Telegraph:

Drogba and Lampard drive Chelsea into final
By Henry Winter

Chelsea (1) 3 Liverpool (0) 2, AET
Agg: 4-3

Frank Lampard last night struck the most poignant and significant goal
of his fine career, driving home an extra-time penalty to help take
the Blues to Red Square. As he wheeled away in celebration, Lampard
sought out his father in the stands, sharing an emotional moment a
week after the midfielder's beloved mother Pat passed away.

If there was one man to assist Chelsea on their voyage to a Champions
League climax in Moscow it had to be Lampard, showing real character
on his return to the fold. Removed shortly before the final whistle,
Lampard walked from the field to tumultuous acclaim. Roman Abramovich
was on business in Russia, and Lampard ensured Chelsea, too, would
soon have business in Russia.

On another evening, the Stamford Bridge crowd would have revelled in
Didier Drogba's double, marvelling at the striker's barnstorming
performance. On another night, the Shed would have thrilled to the
defensive defiance of John Terry, a true leader on this most tense of
occasions.

Chelsea minds could have fast-forwarded to May 21 and an epic conflict
with Manchester United, images abounding of Ashley Cole resuming his
long-running duel with Cristiano Ronaldo, of Terry colliding with
Wayne Rooney.

The future could wait. Everyone at the Bridge had thoughts only for
one man, one subject. This was Lampard's night, his chance to do
something special. Even before Sami Hyypia's foul on Michael Ballack
presented him with his free strike from 12 yards, Lampard impressed,
looking lean and hungry, always guiding passes around the pitch.

After a sustained deluge, the going was treacherous but this
thoroughbred No?8 kept his footing, floating over the sodden soil,
clearly on a mission. Memories of his mother must have been in
Lampard's mind; if he had been distracted, or simply not felt like
playing, no one could have blamed him.

Bravery is a word that belongs on the battlefield, not the field of
sport, but a certain moral courage did define Lampard's performance
here, most pertinently as a frenetic game moved towards the 100-minute
mark with the score locked at 1-1.

Lampard could have left the penalty to Ballack, so expert from the
spot against United at the weekend. He could have thrown the ball to
Drogba, so dynamic last night. But Lampard walked across and placed
the ball down, ignoring Javier Mascherano's gamesmanship.

Lampard has missed penalties before, notably for England in the 2006
World Cup. Butterflies could have invaded his stomach as he faced
probably the best shot-stopper in the world, Pepe Reina. Lampard
blanked all thoughts from his mind, except addressing the ball, which
he did perfectly, the penalty flying past Reina.

Emotion raced through Lampard's body, chasing him around the pitch.
Whatever the Bridge's continuing doubts over the managerial
credentials of Avram Grant, the quality and quantity of the players at
his disposal simply cannot be disputed.

Lampard was terrific, Drogba outstanding and Terry exuded
international class at centre-half. Cole reminded everyone what a good
left-back he can be. Michael Essien shines whether at right-back or in
midfield. Nicolas Anelka represents a mighty weapon to unleash from
the bench.

The richness of Chelsea's human resources contrasts with Liverpool's,
a reality that Rafa Benitez must address when he heads to the summer
sales. Probably only Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, possibly
Mascherano, would force their way into Chelsea's line-up.

And when Drogba is as unplayable as this, even Torres might struggle.
Chelsea's No?11 took his first goal expertly in the 33rd minute,
seizing on Reina's punched clearance from Salomon Kalou and driving it
home.

Drogba certainly celebrated in style, checking his bearings before he
made sure he slid towards Benitez, who had questioned the forward's
tendency to throw himself to the ground. Chelsea fans loved it,
joining in the taunting of the Liverpool manager by mocking him with
diving motions.

Chelsea were hungrier, sharper, more organised and tougher. Liverpool
were incensed when Drogba caught Gerrard late, although the Chelsea
powerhouse had the good grace to seek the England international out at
half-time to apologise. In truth, it hardly needed the striker to
track back to stifle Liverpool's captain. Gerrard struggled to escape
from Claude Makelele, that master of the midfield ambush.
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Independent:

Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2 (Chelsea win 4-3 on agg): Lampard summons
remarkable courage to fire Chelsea through
By Sam Wallace, Football Correspondent
Thursday, 1 May 2008

That was worth £580m of any Russian oligarch's money. But let's start
where football meets something more profound than Chelsea's first
Champions League final, a moment in the 98th minute when Frank Lampard
buried his face in the wet grass by the touchline while, in front of
him, Stamford Bridge went berserk over the penalty he had just scored.

If you could just tear yourself away for a second from the
extraordinary game that was unfolding it was worth considering the
poignancy of Lampard's personal journey. Moments earlier with the game
at 1-1, playing in his first match back since the death of his mother
Pat on Thursday, Lampard had taken the penalty that virtually decided
this game. That was something special, but on the night that Chelsea
finally made good on Roman Abramovich's personal investment, there was
plenty to admire among the men in blue shirts.

Alongside Lampard, Chelsea gave thanks to Didier Drogba whose two
goals last night say that, unquestionably, he is a man for the big
occasion, a player capable of carrying them all the way against
Manchester United in Moscow on 21 May. Liverpool were not easily
disposed of, they reinvented themselves after a first half in which
they should have been beaten out of sight. Through Fernando Torres's
equaliser they took this game to extra-time before eventually Rafael
Benitez's powers of improvisation, maybe even his good fortune, ran
out.

Last year's FA Cup final is this year's Champions League final and
before then Chelsea have the opportunity to unnerve United as they
chase them down the final straight of the Premier League title race.
Never have two English clubs approached the last three matches of
their season with so much at stake and so much to lose. They are
carving up the two richest prizes in club football between them in a
thrilling end to the season.

Most improbable are the identities of the two men who face each other
over the dugout. Not Sir Alex Ferguson whose career seems to have been
building to a moment like this. But how did we end up in one of
English football's most dramatic chapters with Avram Grant in charge
of one of the protagonists? He finished last night's game on his knees
on the pitch genuflecting to persons unknown. Grant said it was a
tribute to his father, a Holocaust survivor; it could equally have
been to his powerful friend Abramovich sat high in the West Stand, out
of sight behind the glass of the executive boxes.

For the first time since he took over from Jose Mourinho at Chelsea in
September, Grant felt brave enough to step onto the pitch and wave to
the home crowd. It would be fair to say that the response was
unremarkable. Stamford Bridge was lost in a rapture that was new to
Chelsea fans, but none of them yet seem to think that they owe it all
to the unassuming little Israeli in the dark suit.

By the end of this astonishing game tactical forethought was out the
window. Ryan Babel scored Liverpool's second with four minutes left to
make it 3-2 on the night – one more goal and it would have been his
side in the final. By then Sami Hyypia was playing in attack and
Benitez, stubborn, unreadable to the end had taken off Torres and
still refused to bring on Peter Crouch, even though he needed a goal
to save him. Sometimes the Liverpool manager is just too clever for
his own good.

Certainly Torres and, to a lesser extent, Steven Gerrard looked out of
sorts in the first half. Rain for most of the day in west London meant
that the pitch was treacherous and slippery. Passes went astray or
slowed down in the wet. Chelsea's groundstaff have probably been a man
down since Saturday's post-match dust-up with Patrice Evra and they
will need every pair of hands to restore this pitch.

The game slipped and slid away from Liverpool, Martin Skrtel hobbled
off injured after 22 minutes, a major blow to Benitez. In unpromising
conditions it was Chelsea who adapted quickest. Michael Ballack and
Lampard were the more sure-footed and on 33 minutes it was the
Englishman who made his side's first goal. Salomon Kalou ran on to
Lampard's ball and hit a shot across Jose Reina that the Liverpool
goalkeeper did well to save. Drogba had timed his run late and cracked
the loose ball first time past the recovering Reina.

Moments later Drogba was sliding on his knees in front of Benitez,
mocking his claims that the Chelsea striker was a diver. The Chelsea
fans loved it; the Liverpool manager pretended not to notice. There
was a swagger to Chelsea that they had cracked Liverpool's code at
last. Ballack struck a free-kick against the stanchion. They seemed to
be saying they could finish Liverpool off at any time.

Benitez made changes at half-time, Dirk Kuyt was restored to the wing
and he changed sides with Yossi Benayoun. The moment when Chelsea
should have killed off their opposition came and went and then Torres
struck. Benayoun picked the ball up on the right wing and set off on
his only decisive action of the match. Drogba got alongside him but
never made the tackle. Benayoun took his chance, Torres had backed
into his man to create the space for a pass – the striker flicked the
ball past Petr Cech.

Liverpool had taken Grant's team to a dark place and in the break
before extra-time they looked as if they had the greater appetite.
Five minutes later Michael Essien had a goal disallowed for offside
but Chelsea smelled blood. Hyypia upended Ballack in the box and
Lampard scored the penalty. Drogba added the second from Nicolas
Anelka's cut back and this game seemed to be over.

History will probably forget that, with his team leading 3-1, Cech
threw in Babel's late goal because Chelsea held on. Liverpool's season
is over now and the sight of American co-owner Tom Hicks after the
game, striding across the turf towards the tunnel reminded us that
there is much more unfinished business at that club. So too at Chelsea
where the miracle of Grant is that he has probably done enough already
to keep his job and is one game away from a trophy that is not
supposed to be the preserve of novices and unknowns.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Essien, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Makelele; J
Cole (Anelka, 90), Lampard (Shevchenko, 118), Ballack, Kalou (Malouda,
70); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Mikel, Alex,
Belletti.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel (Hyypia, 22),
Riise; Alonso, Mascherano; Kuyt, Gerrard, Benayoun (Pennant, 78);
Torres (Babel, 99). Substitutes not used: Itandje (gk), Finnan,
Crouch, Lucas.

Referee: R Rosetti (Italy).

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The Guardian

Lampard sets grief aside to send Chelsea to Moscow
Champions Lge Semi-Final L2

Chelsea 3 Drogba 33, Lampard (pen) 98, Drogba 105
Liverpool 2 Torres 64, Babel 117

Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

There has to be patience before even an oligarch's wishes are
fulfilled. Five years after buying the club, Roman Abramovich has now
seen Chelsea achieve the prestige he craves. The Russian has the
particular pleasure, too, of flaunting that status in Moscow, where
Manchester United will stand in his way at the Champions League final
on May 21.

This might have been Chelsea's anticipated destiny, considering all
the funds pumped in, but it still had to be achieved in the midst of
sport's uncertainty and emotion. While this game had no real
distinction, its course stayed tantalisingly obscure for much of the
evening. Chelsea had gone ahead while largely in command of the first
half but Liverpool levelled.

The Anfield club was not to get its way, as it had in the previous
semi-final encounters under Rafael Benítez in 2005 and 2007. Nor would
Liverpool have deserved to do so. This encounter tipped away from them
in the eighth minute of extra-time as the substitute Sami Hyypia
tripped Michael Ballack as he moved across the edge of the area.

The penalty was drilled home low to the left of José Reina by Frank
Lampard. That was far from being the end of the action but it was
still a moment that dominated the night. Lampard was remarkable for
the concentration he mustered on his return to football after the
death of his mother. The midfielder had been significant too for a
series of outstanding passes.

Didier Drogba was often the recipient. Benítez, who prides himself on
being a strategist, had bungled in his pre-match characterisation of
the Ivorian as an habitual diver. Motivational skills are supposed to
be reserved for his own squad, but he had inadvertently galvanised a
Chelsea forward who sometimes has a habit of trailing off into
listlessness.

Drogba's concentration was unbroken here. His second goal, in the
105th minute, came as he slotted home an excellent, low delivery from
the substitute Nicolas Anelka. The situation was beyond retrieval even
for these opponents, despite a 35-yarder from the substitute Ryan
Babel three minutes from the very end that eluded Petr Cech. There
were no more miracles left in Liverpool.

Perhaps it is Avram Grant who is trading in marvels. Where his
predecessor Jose Mourinho had faltered, he has come through. It is
futile to argue against results. No matter how many people invoke the
law of averages and argue that, at the fourth time of asking, Chelsea
stood a good chance of winning a Champions League semi-final, the
honour goes down on the Israeli's CV. All evidence shows, too, that
the defeat of United at the Luzhniki stadium is wholly feasible.

Chelsea were the better team at the outset and while they drifted into
danger later on they also rallied to regain the initiative. That was
laudable in view of that fact that Liverpool, with 28 goals, troop out
of the Champions League as its highest scorers this season. So much
for the cliche that they are a side drilled to such extremes that
spontaneity is forbidden.

If Grant's team were to take the lead, Drogba had always been the most
likely scorer. Lampard nearly set the striker free after 12 minutes
and Martin Skrtel intervened at a price, picking up the knee injury
that later saw him replaced by Hyypia. Drogba was once more picked out
by Lampard 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. On 33 minutes the Liverpool right-back Alvaro Arbeloa was
lax and as Salomon Kalou moved on to another Lampard pass he slipped
across Hyypia and forced a parry from Reina. Drogba met the loose ball
with conviction to thrash a tremendous drive low into the net through
the merest hint of a gap at the near post, despite the fact that Reina
and John Arne Riise were in front of him.

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 before taking it and
his effort pinged against the pole behind the goal that holds up the
nets.

Benítez's team are not readily deterred, of course, and Chelsea were
misguided when acting as if they could see out the second half while
playing passively. The Liverpool manager had chosen Yossi Benayoun
rather than Babel to play from the start. There was a demonstration of
sumptuous ability from the midfielder Benítez had preferred.

With 64 minutes gone, Benayoun had the tenacity and touch, as he cut
in from the right, to evade Claude Makelele and Drogba before feeding
a pass behind Ricardo Carvalho in the middle of Chelsea's central
defence. Fernando Torres tucked it home calmly for Liverpool's first
goal at Stamford Bridge since the appointment of Benítez in 2004.

The satisfaction is negligible. For other clubs, a run to the last
four is an admirable effort, but Liverpool, winning the tournament in
2005 and making it to the 2007 final, have come to expect more under
the Spaniard. This year it is Chelsea who have the joy of entering an
occasion of a grandeur it has never known in its history.
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Mail:

Grant now the special one as Rafa is outfoxed on night of drama at
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2 aet (agg 4-3)

By MATT LAWTON

The home of great English drama is no longer in the West End but in
the north-west of England and the blue corner of west London.

It is at Old Trafford, where redemption belonged to Paul Scholes, and
at Stamford Bridge, where Frank Lampard somehow conquered his grief to
help guide Chelsea to their first European Cup Final.

Even after the events last Saturday which marred the meeting between
Manchester United and Chelsea this was extraordinary.

From the sight of Didier Drogba taunting Rafa Benitez to the moment
when Avram Grant sank to his knees on a day of high emotion.

From the sight of Sami Hyypia bringing down Michael Ballack to the
moment when a stadium realised that it was Lampard and not his German
colleague who was placing the ball on the penalty spot.

The same thought must have passed through the mind of every spectator.
What if he missed? What if, after the terrible trauma of losing his
mother last week, he had yet more pain and heartache to contend with?

To compare the two was ludicrous. The loss of a loved one and a
football match? But that is where we were, caught somewhere between
fear of what might happen and a feeling of incredulity.

That Lampard even had the courage to play is a credit to his family.

That he then wanted to shoulder the responsibility that comes with
taking the penalties is almost beyond comprehension.

His celebration was, understandably, emotional.

After sprinting towards the corner flag he pulled off the black
armband he wore in memory of mum Pat and kissed it before kissing the
ground.

And then, as he ran back towards the halfway line, he appeared to
raise a finger to his heartbroken father, Frank.

That Drogba then scored his second of the night to put a third
Champions League Final under Benitez beyond Liverpool's reach almost
went unnoticed, so mesmerising were the events that immediately
preceded it.

But it was just as well he did, given that Ryan Babel struck a second
for Liverpool in the second period of extra-time.

What an incredible semi-final this has been. You wait what seems like
years for a proper goal when these two teams meet in Champions League
semi-finals and then seven come at once.

Two in the first leg, the second of which was that so-costly own goal
from John Arne Riise, and then five here last night.

Liverpool will no doubt reflect on the way good fortune deserted them
on this occasion.

While Salomon Kalou appeared to be offside before unleashing the shot
that suddenly presented Drogba with the chance to open the scoring,
Liverpool probably deserved a penalty when Drogba brought down Hyypia.

And what a difference that could have made when the incident occurred
shortly before Babel's late strike.

By then, of course, Drogba had already delivered the perfect riposte
to Benitez for what the Liverpool manager must now accept was a rather
untimely attack.

A serial diver was how the Spaniard described Chelsea's striker. Last
night he performed the role of serial killer, running straight to
Benitez after pouncing on Pepe Reina's failure to hold that Kalou shot
in the 33rd minute. Drogba even had a picture of Benitez on his peg in
the dressing room last night.

Grant might have opted for a picture of Jose Mourinho but he can bury
the ghost of his predecessor along with the 'ghost goal' that has
haunted Chelsea since that first semi-final meeting in 2005.

He has been ridiculed and reviled. Branded an impostor, on these
pages, it has to be said, as well as on the terraces of Stamford
Bridge, and an Israeli who had no right to succeed Mourinho last
September.

But that assessment should now change, and not just because he has
conquered Mourinho's nemesis: not just because he has done something
that proved beyond Mourinho by overcoming a Liverpool team to reach a
Champions League Final.

Whatever happens now, Grant can reflect on his tenure at Chelsea with
pride. He is taking United to the wire in the title race and now he
will meet them in Moscow as well.

Not only that, he has given Roman Abramovich the opportunity to show
off his favourite toy to his friends and countrymen. If Mourinho was
the Special One, he does not look quite so special now. Not in the
eyes of Chelsea's Russian owner, anyway.

A third European semi-final between these sides finally ended in
victory for Grant and not even Steven Gerrard could bring him down.
Liverpool's captain went close, colliding with Chelsea's manager in
almost comical fashion but Grant has a low centre of gravity.

Something he demonstrated again when he dropped to the ground at the
sound of the final whistle. When he eventually climbed back to his
feet, he had never looked taller.

Whether he can now join the pantheon of managers who have lifted the
European Cup remains to be seen. It will not be easy when Sir Alex
Ferguson is every bit as determined to join an even more exclusive
club - managers who have won club football's most illustrious prize
more than once.

But only goal difference currently separates these two English teams
in the Barclays Premier League and it will be harder to call even than
this semi-final, a game that punters should consider only as
entertainment rather than a chance to make a few quid.

This match was typical of previous encounters even if it did include a
good deal more goals. It was fiercely contested and played, at times,
at a furious pace.

When Drogba scored his first, Liverpool appeared to be in serious
trouble. But then we were reminded how resilient this Liverpool team
can be.

No sooner had Yossi Benayoun escaped the clutches of Claude Makelele
in the 64th minute than Fernando Torres had scored and propelled this
match towards extratime and what Chelsea no doubt feared would be
penalties - a fear that was compounded by the sight of a Michael
Essien goal being disallowed a few minutes into that final period.

But then came something that no one expected: Lampard, the ball and
the penalty spot.
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LAMPARD: THAT'S FOR YOU MUM

Frank Lampard
Thursday May 1,2008
By Tony Banks Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2 (AET: Chelsea win 4-3 on agg)

Frank Lampard's courageous penalty and Didier Drogba's second goal of
the night saw Chelsea through extra-time and into their first
Champions League final last night.

Liverpool, twice their conquerors at this stage of the competition in
the last four years, had forced the added period when Fernando Torres
cancelled out Drogba's first-half opener and still threatened when
substitute Ryan Babel added a late goal.

However, this time it was Chelsea's night and they will face
Manchester United in an all-English final in Moscow on May 21.

Lampard, whose mother Pat died last week, had asked to play because he
knew that was what she would have wanted and his penalty, after Sami
Hyypia had felled Michael Ballack, was ecstatically received.

The much-maligned Avram Grant had seen the cultured foot of his
fellow-Israeli Yossi Benayoun put through Torres after 64 minutes to
cancel out Drogba's first-half strike. Yes, once again, it was an
epic, engrossing battle.

Twice before Chelsea had found themselves ensnared in the web of Rafa
Benitez's tactical cunning in Europe – the same traps that have
confounded so many teams.

Yet the belief around Stamford Bridge, especially after luck finally
seemed to turn their way in last week's first leg, was that that run
had to change.

There was the usual pre-match sparring – Benitez labelling Drogba a
diver, the Ivorian and his manager insisting he was not. But last
night history beckoned for Chelsea.

A first-ever Champions League final, their first European final of any
kind in a turbulent decade.

Liverpool, of course, had been here before; five-times winners, last
night being their ninth semi-final. A thriller had not been
anticipated – with Benitez ever a careful, thoughtful planner and
Grant equally cautious.

A remorseless machine built by Jose Mourinho and only slightly
tinkered with by Grant. It just keeps rolling along.

But the difference last night, the fact that promised some adventure,
was that Liverpool had to score. Something they had not managed under
Benitez in eight previous visits to the Bridge.

The decision to play Lampard so soon after the death of his mother was
a huge gamble by Grant, even though the player himself had insisted he
wanted to be out there.

The hope obviously was that the adrenaline would carry him through –
and the thought that playing was what his mother would have wanted.

The standing ovation that he got when he ran out indicated that most
of the crowd were willing him to succeed, anyway.

Chelsea went for the throat early, as Drogba shot on the turn and Pepe
Reina turned the ball behind. But Petr Cech, Chelsea's hero of the
first leg, was swiftly into action as he foiled Torres at the near
post after a neat interchange of passes between Steven Gerrard and
Benayoun.

Drogba, though, seemed to have at last forgotten the sulks, the
petulance of recent months. He had the bit firmly between his teeth
and Reina had to dash out to foil him with his legs. Then Drogba raced
through but screwed his shot narrowly wide of the far post.

It was a driven Chelsea making the running, as Michael Essien and then
Michael Ballack each forced saves out of Reina. But Liverpool were
forced to make a change when Martin Skrtel went off injured after 22
minutes.

That freed up Drogba to start bullying Liverpool and suddenly he was
at their throats.

The breakthrough came as Salomon Kalou raced on to Lampard's ball.
Reina valiantly kept out his shot but there was Drogba, pouncing on
the rebound to drill his shot into the impossible gap between John
Arne Riise, Reina and the post.

Liverpool were simply being overrun run by Chelsea's sheer desire. The
nearest they came to unsettling the Londoners in that unrelenting
first 45 minutes was when Gerrard barged poor old Grant back into his
seat as he dashed to grab the ball.
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Mirror:

Emotions run high as Chelsea reach final
By Mike Collett

Chelsea reached the Champions League final for the first time on
Wednesday, beating Liverpool 3-2 after extra time at rain-lashed
Stamford Bridge to set up a meeting with Manchester United in Moscow
next month.

Two goals from Didier Drogba and a penalty from a grieving Frank
Lampard gave them a 4-3 aggregate victory in a dramatic semi-final
against the side that had knocked them out twice at this stage in the
last three seasons.

Liverpool's goals came from Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel, whose
speculative 40-metre shot three minutes from the end of extra time
somehow bamboozled Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech and revived
Liverpool's hopes for the last few minutes.

But Chelsea held on in an absorbing match that was in the balance
until the final kick to repay billionaire Russian owner Roman
Abramovich for the millions of pounds he has invested in the west
London club since taking over in 2003.

They can now look forward to facing Manchester United in the first
all-English Champions League final on May 21.

"It has not sunk in properly," said Chelsea captain John Terry. "We
will enjoy tonight but it will take 24 hours to sink in. I think
everyone is looking forward to an all-English final. It will be a very
tough game in three weeks' time."

HAPPY GRANT

Chelsea coach Avram Grant added: "I'm very very happy. Every time you
create history is something special. We created history and I'm very
proud that I did it in my way and I don't want to say 'I' but it is
time to thank everybody."

United, whose manager Alex Ferguson was at Stamford Bridge to watch
the semi-final, secured their place in the showpiece on Tuesday when
they eliminated Barcelona at Old Trafford.

While Drogba was the scoring hero on Wednesday with two excellent,
powerfully-executed goals, the remarkable Lampard was the emotional
focus of Chelsea's ecstatic fans.

The England midfielder, back in the team following the death of his
58-year-old mother Pat last week, wept after scoring the decisive
penalty that put them 2-1 ahead in the 98th minute and got a standing
ovation when he was substituted near the end.

He had a decisive impact on the match, too, beginning the move that
led to Chelsea's opening goal after 33 minutes and which Drogba
completed after Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina did well to parry a
fiercely struck shot from Salomon Kalou.

Liverpool, who had not scored at Stamford Bridge in their last eight
visits, broke that hoodoo in the 64th minute when Torres equalised
after a brilliant run from Yossi Benayoun.

TORRES STRIKES

The Israel midfielder sent Chelsea's defence into a spin, playing the
final ball through Ricardo Carvalho's legs.

It was Torres's 31st goal of the season and enough to take the game to
extra time where the match turned Chelsea's way again in a five-minute
spell midway through the first period.

First, Michael Essien appeared to have put Chelsea 2-1 ahead and ran
half the length of the pitch celebrating before everyone realised his
strike had been disallowed for offside.

However, two minutes later Chelsea were ahead once more when Lampard
sent Reina the wrong way from the penalty spot after Sami Hyypia had
fouled Michael Ballack.

Lampard., who missed Saturday's Premier League win over leaders
Manchester United after his mother died last Thursday, was engulfed by
his team mates but could not hide his tears.

Ivory Coast captain Drogba appeared to have finally killed Liverpool
off when he turned in a cross from Nicolas Anelka with pinpoint
precision after 105 minutes.

But Liverpool, five times European champions, winners under coach Rafa
Benitez in 2005 and beaten finalists last year, never gave up and got
an unlikely reprieve with Babel's goal.

That, though, was their last hurrah as Chelsea held on to celebrate an
epic win in front of their delirious fans.

"It is something amazing," said Drogba. "I think today we played very
well -- I am really pleased for the club because we have been looking
for this final for too long.

"Today what we achieved is fantastic for the fans."
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Mirror:

Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2

From SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge

Published: Today

Chelsea win 4-3 on aggregate

FRANK LAMPARD'S mum Pat will be looking down proudly on her son.


What character her boy showed at Stamford Bridge last night.


Just pulling it together to play less than a week after his mother's
death was brave enough.


But to coolly convert the extra-time penalty which sent the Blues on
their way to a first Champions League final was beyond the call of
duty.


Young Frank could have stepped aside and allowed the supremely
confident Michael Ballack to take it — but he did not even flinch.


Mum was watching over him. He was not going to miss.


The tears welled up in Lampard's eyes as he ran to the corner flag to
celebrate and was engulfed by team-mates.


When he emerged from the melee he blew kisses to the stands towards
dad, Frank Snr. There was barely a dry eye in the house — and nor
should there have been.


Getting to Moscow to face Manchester United on May 21 will never make
up for his devastating loss but it is a fitting tribute to his mum's
memory.


Having been subbed just before the end, Lamps returned to the field at
full-time to salute the fans and hug his team-mates.


There was a special embrace for his captain and good friend John Terry
while somewhat incongruously the party was going on around them.


Then the vanquished Steven Gerrard, so often a Champions League hero
himself offered congratulations and sympathy to his England team-mate.


As Lampard, 29, left the pitch there was also a hug for Avram Grant, a
boss so vilified yet one who has done what the Special One Jose
Mourinho never achieved — take the Blues to a European final.


How can Grant be judged anything other than a success?


We keep hearing of disharmony in the dressing room and that the
players do not want to perform for him. But somehow this team is
producing the goods. They could even win a double.


Didier Drogba's body language shows he has no time for Grant yet he
has never worked harder and his performance here was stunning —
although Rafa Benitez might have had something to do with that.


Give a Drog a bad name and he will come back to bite you where it hurts.


Kop boss Benitez accused Drogba of being a diver in the build-up and
how the Ivory Coast striker made him pay for that attack.


An early shot from 30 yards brought a top-class save out of Pepe Reina
and after Fernando Torres was denied by Petr Cech, Drogba shot past
the far post after a sweeping move.


But on 33 minutes he found the opening, pouncing to fire inside the
post after Reina had pushed away Salomon Kalou's shot.


Drogba launched into a full-length dive towards the corner flag, got
back up and slid towards Benitez pumping his fists right in front of
the Liverpool boss. Point made.


The visitors were rattled and Gerrard sent Chelsea boss Grant flying
as he tried to get the ball back at a throw in.


However, a half-time pep talk from Benitez shook Liverpool up. Cech
denied Dirk Kuyt's flick and Drogba made a fantastic saving tackle on
the edge of his own six-yard box to prevent Torres scoring.


Chelsea were fighting a rearguard action and the equaliser came on 64
minutes after excellent work by Yossi Benayoun.


The Israeli cut in from the right and skipped past two challenges
before releasing Torres as Ashley Cole played him onside.


The Spanish striker made no mistake sliding the ball past Cech into
the corner for his 31st goal of the season.


Liverpool were back in it with a chance of a third final appearance in
four seasons while the Blues must have been fearing another
heartbreaking semi-final exit.


Last season, the Reds won on penalties at Anfield and as extra-time
began the memory must have been all too vivid for Grant's men.


They did not want to go through that again and, when Michael Essien
sent a screamer into the net from 20 yards, the Bridge erupted.


But it was disallowed because the eagle-eyed linesman had rightly
flagged four Chelsea players offside and one of them — Drogba — was
clearly doing his best to hinder Reina. But the Blues rendered any
disputes irrelevant once veteran Kop central defender Sami Hyypia, on
as an early first-half sub for the injured Martin Skrtel, clattered
into the back of Ballack.


Italian ref Roberto Rosetti immediately pointed to the spot with the
game into its 98th minute.


Lampard did the job like he has done so many times before although
never in such difficult circumstances.


Seven minutes later Chelsea had seemingly made it safe as sub Nicolas
Anelka crossed to the near post and the clinical Drogba emphatically
finished it off.


But with three minutes remaining, Ryan Babel took a swing from 35
yards and his swerving strike caught the normally reliable Cech on his
heels and the ball went in off his outstretched right hand.


It made for a nervy finish until there came the sweetest sound of the
night for Chelsea, the shrill blast of the final whistle.


United and Chelsea may be owned by foreigners and packed with imported stars.


But on consecutive nights it is two of the nation's own — Paul Scholes
and Lampard — who made the headlines.


Where would they be without the Englishmen?
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