In a rollercoaster of a second leg, Chelsea invited Liverpool back into the tie before a spirited fightback guaranteed a meeting with Barcelona in the semi-final. Rafael Benitez took his team to Stamford Bridge on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline, but the belief he has in his team was reflected on the pitch, as Liverpool never thought they were out of the game.
Chelsea were extremely complacent in the first half, and allowed Liverpool a passage back into the match on the 19th minute when Fabio Aurelio's well-executed free kick caught Cech completely off guard. It was to be one of them nights for the Czech, who was left completely wrong-footed by the set-piece and had to watch the ball treacle into the net. It was inch-perfect from Aurelio, six inches either side and it would not have been a goal.
And eight minutes later, Liverpool were within one goal of the semi-final after Xabi Alonso was fouled in the box, leaving the referee no choice but to award a penalty. Up stepped the felled Alonso, who duly sent Cech the wrong way, instilling belief into a focused Liverpool, and disbelief into a flattened Chelsea. Cue panic.
The Londoners failed to retain possession for meaningful periods in the first half, as they looked as dodgy as the ITV commentary at the back, and equally as toothless going forward. Half time could not have come at a more opportune for Guus Hiddink and his team, who looked completely rattled as they walked off to a chorus of boos from the home crowd.
However, it was not half time that changed the game, but rather a gift from Spanish shot-stopper Jose Reina. Nicolas Anelka done well to a get a delivery in from the right hand side, but the ball seemed to be rolling harmlessly towards Reina. Drogba used his strength to get the slightest of touches onto the ball, which caught Reina completely off-guard as he could only palm the ball into his own goal. It will be recorded down in the history books as a Reina own goal, and the Spaniard showed his disbelief and frustration whilst Drogba was busy showing his elation.
The goal, however, did not significantly change the situation, Liverpool still needed a third goal, yet it was Chelsea who found themselves with a new-found momentum. Drogba's free kick three minutes later deceived most of Stamford Bridge into thinking Chelsea had equalised, but the ball had pummeled into the side-netting instead. It was a fortunate let-off for Liverpool.
They were not to be so fortunate a few minutes later, when Alex powered the ball past Reina from all of thirty yards from another free kick. Chelsea had shown the commitment and spirit that they had lost since the departure of Jose Mourinho to claw their way back to a level scoreline, and this was summed up by Drogba's cheerleading to the crowd after his first goal. It was such an important act, from such a temperamental player, who finally seems to be settled again under Hiddink.
Soon after the hour, Florent Malouda put the Ivorian in again, and he outmuscled Carragher before finding Ballack unmarked in the box. Ballack should have put Chelsea ahead, but fired straight at Reina instead, it was a let-off for a Liverpool side who were living dangerously, as they knew it was the only way to play now.
Fernando Torres showed one piece of magic, as he evaded the Chelsea defence before firing from 30 yards. His shot left Cech stranded as it was curling, dipping and swerving, but not soon enough, as it narrowly missed the target. It was to be an extremely frustrating night for the Spaniard, who was starved of any genuine service, barring that of Benayoun early in the first half.
Chelsea were ahead with just under fifteen minutes to go, as Michael Ballack's pass found Didier Drogba, who had beautifully evaded the Liverpool defence. The combination and timing of such a pass and run was world class, and it left Drogba pitting his wits against Martin Skrtel. Drogba dummied and shimmied and left Skrtel on the floor before playing the ball across the box to Frank Lampard, who bundled the ball past Reina.
The match seemed all but over, and the Torres substitution on the 79th minute showed a rare sign of defeat from the usually defiant Benitez. It was a controlled decision from Benitez, who acknowledged swallowing his pride and taking off the record signing in such an important game would only enhance their chances in the league. It was a decision, which will be criticised and analysed by many, and one that Benitez was left to regret five minutes later, as Liverpool amazingly found themselves 4-3 ahead.
First, Lukas tried his luck from long-range and his effort took a massive deflection off Michael Essien to leave Petr Cech no chance in the Chelsea goal. Then, three minutes later, Albert Riera made himself half a yard on the edge of the Chelsea area against Ivanovic, before firing his cross across goal dangerously. Dirk Kuyt powered in past Carvalho to pummel his header past a helpless Cech. The best script-writers in Hollywood could not write such a story.
In the 89th minute, Chelsea scored yet again, to level the match. Didier Drogba showed his power as he shrugged off the Liverpool challenges to put Anelka in on the side of the penalty area. The Frenchman calmly picked out Lampard on the edge of the box, whose first-time shot flew past Reina and hit two posts before nestling into the net. After the scenes that had unfolded during the 90 minutes, the Chelsea fans could be forgiven for still biting their fingernails, despite Liverpool needing two goals in three minutes.
In an incredible rollercoaster ride of a match, Liverpool nearly landed another blow. Petr Cech steamed off his line but did not come close to collecting the ball as it fell to the substitute Ngog. He showed no mercy for the Czech as he fired ruthlessly at the goal, but Essien was there to header off the line.
Rather fittingly, it was Petr Cech who would have the last touch of the ball before the referee brought an end to proceedings. Liverpool showed tremendous spirit to fight back into the tie; in all honesty, spirit which needed to be shown to the Liverpool faithful after they feebly handed the impetus to Chelsea in the first leg. The Liverpool fans will be proud of what their team mustered up in a fascinating encounter, but will rue the poor perfomance in the first leg. And such is the nature of European competitions, that one cannot afford one bad performance if they harbour serious ambitions.
Credit must be lauded upon Chelsea again, as they showed that same spirit and fight that saw them through at Anfield last week. After going two goals behind within the first half an hour, the players could be forgiven for remembering what Liverpool had done to Milan in Istanbul. Yet they stuck at their task and eventually got their rewards. Drogba was anonymous in the first half but absolutely unplayable in the second, having a part to play in three of Chelsea's four goals. Never has a game encapsulated the nature of Drogba so well, as he failed to hold the ball up and bring people into play in the first half, but completely terrorised Carragher and Skrtel in the second. It will be he who grabs all the headlines.
Man of the Match: Didier Drogba (8)
No-one was particularly outstanding tonight, as both teams shipped four goals and seven different players wrote their names on the scoresheet. Drogba's second half performance was world class and he was a man on a mission, single-handedly winning the tie for Chelsea. Such a performance would usually earn a ten, but he was anonymous in the first half.
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