See It Yah ...match Report When Elephants Rumble !

[Sir X]

Last Updated: Tuesday, 1 May 2007, 21:37 GMT 22:37 UK

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Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea (Agg: 1-1)
Liverpool win 4-1 on penalties

By Owen Phillips




Gerrard (right) teed up Agger's opener
Liverpool booked their place in the Champions League final with a dramatic penalty shoot-out win in the semi-final second leg at Anfield.

Dirk Kuyt scored the crucial spot-kick to clinch a 4-1 win after Arjen Robben and Geremi missed for the Blues.

Daniel Agger cancelled out Chelsea's first-leg lead with a crisp first-time finish from Steven Gerrard's superbly disguised left-wing free-kick.

Kuyt also rattled the bar with a fine header after the break.

Liverpool

Within seconds it became clear both teams were happy to go long. Liverpool looked to feed off Peter Crouch and Chelsea were eager to get the ball to Drogba and use the pace of Salomon Kalou on the break.

But after a promising opening first five minutes from the visitors, it was Liverpool who settled and started to get on top in a scrappy match.

606: DEBATE
Who will reach the final?

Liverpool they scored from the first good chance of the night.

Joe Cole fouled Gerrard on the left flank and with everyone expecting the Reds skipper to whip in a cross towards the far post, he slid the ball across the box to Agger who slammed it home first time into the bottom corner.

With the scores level on aggregate, Liverpool stepped off the pace a little and Chelsea began to look lively.

Reina was forced into a decent save from Drogba, who stood firm to beat away the striker's fiercely struck shot following Mikel's through-ball.

Chelsea, playing in their third Champions League semi-final in four years almost went ahead just before the break when Essien almost diverted a Drogba header in from a Frank Lampard corner.

Liverpool had three excellent chances to double their lead after the break.

Jermaine Pennant wriggled his way free on the right and crossed to Crouch but his downward far-post header was kicked away by Cech and John Terry completed the clearance.

And within five minutes Liverpool went even closer. A fantastic cross from John Arne Riise was met brilliantly by Kuyt but his header crashed back off the bar. A rare Terry error then saw stand-in centre-half Essien bail out his skipper as he launched himself in front of Pennant and diverted the ball over for a corner.

Chelsea then pieced together their best move if the half.

Lampard combined with Joe Cole to put in Ashley Cole and Carragher got ahead of Drogba to turn Cole's cross over the bar from three yards.

Drogba almost got through on goal but was thwarted by Reina and at the other end Bolo Zenden tested Cech with a decent 20-yard strike.

Neither side could forced the crucial goal in normal time and chances were a premium in the extra 30 minutes

Liverpool went closest when substitute Xabi Alonso unleashed a rasping 35-yard drive that Cech could only turn into the path of Kuyt who turned the ball in but his strike was ruled offside.

In the second period Drogba almost turned in Shaun Wright-Phillips' teasing cross and Kuyt had a shot beaten away by Cech in the closing moments.

In the penalty shootout, Liverpool romped home.

[Sir X]

Re: See It Yah ...match Report When Elephants Rumble !

AWESOME REDS ARE GOING TO ATHENS

Liverpool are through to the Champions League Final in Athens after they produced an awesome performance to overturn Chelsea's first leg lead and win Tuesday's Semi Final on penalties on a glorious night at Anfield.

The Reds sealed their place in the final against either Manchester United or AC Milan after Daniel Agger's first half leveller had taken them into extra time and then penalties. And they beat Chelsea 4-1 on penalties with Pepe Reina the hero saving three of Chelsea's spot kicks.

It was a cruel way to go out for Chelsea, but on the balance of chances Liverpool deserved their win because they were the ones who had come closest and controlled most of an epic 120 minutes.

It wasn't just on the pitch that this battle was won. The Anfield atmosphere was simply breathtaking. You could search far and wide and still not find a support to match it. No one does scarves and flags like Liverpool and, combined with the noise; it presented a wall of power that drove the players on to a fantastic prize.

And it will be Liverpool's second European Cup Final in just three years, a throw back to the late 70s and early 80s, when the Reds dominated Europe just as they are doing now.

With what was at stake it was no surprise to see this game start slowly. Jose Mourinho had said his side would come here to attack, but they dropped inside their own half every time Liverpool had the ball and the Reds were finding space hard to find.

Rafa had stated his intention by starting with Steven Gerrard at the centre of the midfield and with two strikers in Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch. And it was Liverpool who did all of the early pressing, without really threatening to test Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal.

That was until the 22nd minute, when Daniel Agger scored and sent an already noisy Anfield into an absolute frenzy. It came from a free kick on the left of the Chelsea penalty area. Steven Gerrard fooled everyone when he rolled the ball back to Agger 12 yards from goal and he finished superbly side footed.

We needed a great save by Reina from danger man Drogba just minutes later and Chelsea got on the front foot for the first time as half time approached, but Agger's goal had levelled the tie and it was game on when the sides went in for the break.

The game was on a knife edge. A goal for Liverpool would put them in pole position, but a goal for Chelsea would leave the Reds needing two. Steven Gerrard though wasn't about to stick, he wanted to force the issue and only the timely intervention of Ashley Cole deprived him of a run on goal with the second half just minutes old.

Chelsea responded with a shot wide from Cole, but Liverpool were soon back on the attack and it took a brilliant save from Cech to stop Crouch's far post header after Pennant's cross had picked him out.

Liverpool were looking the more likely and they came desperately close again in the 59th minute when this time Riise's cross found the head of Kuyt; and he rattled the Chelsea crossbar with Cech beaten.

The chances kept coming for Liverpool. Next it was a last ditch deflection that sent Pennant's fierce shot over the crossbar and into the Kop. The Reds were on top, but the question on everyone's lips was would the goal come; and would Chelsea come again.

Liverpool escaped when Carragher deflected the ball just inches over his own crossbar with Drogba closing in, but as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes it became obvious that we would have extra time.

It was again Liverpool who had the better chances in extra time. It took a great block to stop Riise's goalbound effort and all of Anfield thought they'd scored the winner when Kuyt slammed the ball home after Cech could only parry Alonso's shot, but they were cruelly denied by what looked a wrong offside decision. And in the dieing minutes, it took another fine Cech save to deny Kuyt a certain winner.

So it was penalties and it was just like Istanbul with Liverpool's goalkeeper and penalty takers again proving they had the greater strength of mind. Zenden scored, Reina saved from Robben , Alonso scored, Lampard scored, Gerrard scored, Reina saved from Geremi and then Kuyt scored. What a night!



Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Riise, Agger (captain), Carragher, Finnan, Zenden, Gerrard MBE, Mascherano, Pennant, Crouch, Kuyt. Subs - Hyypia, Fowler, Padelli, Gonzalez, Arbeloa, Bellamy, Alonso

Chelsea: Cech, Cole, Terry (captain), Essien, Ferreira, Cole, Lampard, Makelele, Obi Mikel, Drogba, Kalou. Subs - Cudicini, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Diarra, Boulahrouz, Robben,

Referee: Mejuto Gonzalez

Conditions: Dry

Attendance: 42554

Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Jamie Carragher