Chelsea – Liverpool

Tonight's teams are: Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Alex, Carvalho, A Cole, Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Kalou, Malouda, Drogba. and Liverpool:Reina, Aurelio, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Kuyt, Lucas, Alonso, Mascherano, Benayoun, Torres.

Subs are: Chelsea: Hilario, Di Santo, Mikel, Deco, Belletti, Anelka, Mancienne. and Liverpool:Subs: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, Agger, Riera, Babel, N'Gog.

So the big news is no Gerrard for Liverpool, replaced by Benayoun. Whether Benitez thinks the game is up or whether he actually has a nastier injury than first thought is uncelar.

For Chelsea, Terry is suspended and replaced by Carvalho, which in my not very humble opinion makes them stronger. That aside, they're unchanged from the first leg, although whether both Malouda and Kalou will play as well again - ever, let alone at the same time - is doubtful, although the former is a better player than he's shown a Chelsea.

Oh, and I've just noticed that Lucas is playing too, and Riera is not. Don't think that'll matter much, they're both rubbish. It's hard to see where Liverpool will find the necessary three goals - their gameplan is most likely to try and keep it tight whilst trying to nick a goal early on, and then go for it in the second half.

Liverpool kick off.

Benayoun is on the left for Liverpool, Lucas is behind Torres in Gerrard's position. That is peculiar.

Alex is forced to concede a throw after a dodgy first touch.

Decent cross from Kalou, caught low down by Reina.

Not much going on at the moment. Throw to Chelsea from the right on halfway.

Benayoun looks a little like Munch's "Scream". If his face were any thinner it'd be the other way around.

Drogba is down and having a mini-writhe.

Play has now been stopped. There doesn't seem to be any reason for that, things were proceeding quite nicely without him.

Drogba is back on.

Drogba jumps to win a header, and a good jump it is, but he's penalised for a foul.

Reina rushes out to hoof the ball away as Drogba races onto it wide on the right.

Alonso whips a ball in from wide on the right which is headed clear.

Free kick to Liverpool wide right, swung in by Aurelio, but Cech manages to punch clear.

Liverpool might feel they can turn the tables on Chelsea and threaten them from crosses.

Oooh, that was close. Kuyt feeds it in to Benayoun, great flick from the Israeli puts Torres ahead of his marker, but Torres screws his left foot shot and wastes the opportunity.

Lampard then drives a free kick not far wide of Reina's right hand post. Things are beginning to liven up.

Mascherano crosses from the right and Alex heads clear.

Good play from Malouda, but Cole's cross is overhit.

Free kick to Liverpool wide on the left not far from the goalline.

Swung out by Aurelio miles away from anyone at all - very poor indeed.

Free kick to Liverpool, they'll be hoping for a better delivery from Aurelio.

GOAL! Aurelio, instead of crossing, goes for goal and scores. Cech, positioned on his far post, had no no chance. He now looks rather silly, and given the fact that he's wearing an orange jersey and a foam skullcap, that is saying something. Great spot and execution from Aurelio though.

Chelsea have not started well, and Liverpool will be starting to fancy themselves. They're not the most handsome bunch of lads, so that's probably a good thing.

Ashley Cole forced to whack clear and Liverpool have a throw midway inside the Chelsea half.

One-way traffic at the moment. Chelsea need to get a grip.

Free kick to Chelsea, their first chance in a while to put the ball into the box.

Headed clear.

Good play from Aurelio, linking up with Torres who feeds Benayoun, and Ivanovic makes a good tackle.

Free kick to Liverpool, Aurelio curls it in and the referee has given a penalty to Liverpool for holding.

Ivanovic was holding Alonso, but that happens on every dead ball.

GOAL! Alonso beats Cech easily. The keeper dives left, the ball goes right, and it's level on aggreagte, Chelsea only ahead on away goals.

Inciedentally the penalty award is a major reprieve for Skrtel, who missed an open goal following the foul.

Chelsea appeal for a penalty after Carragher's tackle on Ivanovic. To the naked eye that looked more of a penalty than the one given, and in slow motion you can see Carragher push him off the ball.

Corner to Chelsea on their right.

Reina punches Malouda's cross and Liverpool break.

Liverpool have a corner.

Cleared by Carvalho but the referee had already blown for a foul.

Chelsea hav woken up and are beginning to threaten.

Looks like Anelka will be coming on for Chelsea.

Lampard and Ballack haven't been involved so far.

Anelka replaces Kalou - looks like the change is tactical. Anelka seems to be heading to the right wing though.

Drogba flicks on and Alonso manages to get in front of Lampard, else that would have been a chance. Reina punches away the resultant corner.

Perhaps Anelka has been sent on to occupy Aurelio, who has been a threat going forward.

Good cross into the box by Chelsea which Reina deals with but only just.

Chelsea will be looking forward to half time and a cup of tea. Perhaps they need something a little stronger.

Sammy Lee shakes his head on the Liverpool bench. Perhaps someone has told him he's small and fat (and in fact the first person about whom the "he's fat, he's round, he bounces on the ground song was sung").

Anelka brought down by Benayoun who actually looks too weedy to bring down a dandelion, and he is booked. The free kick is decent, but Ivanovic's header drifts wide.

Ivanovic fouls Benayoun unnecessarily and Liverpool have a chance to put another ball ibnto the box.

Alonso's cross is straight at Cech.

Essien gives the ball away. He has hardly been in the game so far.

Good cross from Mascherano on the left and Carvalho belts it clear. Corner.

Headed away by Carvalho, Alonso picks up the loose ball and wins a corner from the other aide.

Benayoun's flick almost sneaks through, the ball is cleared and Cech only just claws away Kuyt's header after being caught too far off his line. The ball comes straight back, Cech is flailing like a drunken octopus, and is relieved when the ref gives a free kick.

HALF TIME: CHELSEA 0-2 LIVERPOOL

Not much decent football in the half. Mascherano and Alonso have played quite well, but Chelsea have been tentative and weak. Time for Hiddink to earn his (lots and lots and lots of) money. Benitez will hardly be able to believe his luck.

Some of the Chelsea fans booed their side off at half time. Nu-football arriviste morons.

Chelsea ready to kick off. This half should be a belter.

Benayoun through to Lucas on the left, rounds Cech who has come dashing out of his goal for reasons I imagine are obscure even to him. Lucas checks and crosses, and Chelsea are relieved to see the ball drift behind. Cech must have backed Liverpool - there is no other explanation for his behaviour.

Caravalho slips but managed to recover. Chelsea look more nervous than a limbless hedgehog in the middle of the motorway.

GOAL! Reina - who is now applauding himself for some reason - expects Skrtel to cut out Anelka's hard low cross. Except that he doesn't and the ball goes in off Reina's despairing hand. 1-2.

Bayern are 1-0 up against Barca through Ribery.

Aurelio crosses and Lucas heads behind.

Good break through the middle of Liverpool's defence by Malouda and Arbeloa brings him down.

Drogba marks out a run....

Very close, ripples the side netting. Some in the ground think it's in, but it's most defintely not.

Another free kick in a similar position, but a little further out.

GOAL! Just as I was about to type this looks like one for Alex, he smashes a shot that's not that far from Reina that's so hard he can't save it.

So Liverpool need to score twice and not conceed. Unlikely.

Reina will not be a happy slaphead. Chelsea were showing no signs of improvement until his error.

Mascherano brings down Drogba and should receive a yellow, either for the foul itelf or for the numerous other petty, niggly fouls that have gone unpunished.

Alex is eyeing it up...

Smashed into the wall, and Chelsea have a throw.

Good ball in from Aurelio but Chelsea clear.

On Sunday I mentioned to the person next to me in the office that Reina was dodgy would make at least one game-costing error in the run-in, and now he's made it I'm dismayed I didn't post it. But it's true, I promise.

Another error from Cech, failing to hold Mascherano's shot from distance, but Benayoun's ball back in is cleared.

Cole is booked and will miss the next game should they go through. I was about to say couldn't happen to a nicer fine young upstanding member of society, but I've realised that he's escaped marking Messi, so instead I'm annoyed.

Great ball from Malouda to Drogba wide on the right, he easily shrugged off Carragher's weak, limp tackle and squared it to Ballack, but his shot was soft and Reina saved. Let-off for Liverpool.

Riera and his stubble moustache are about to enter the fray. He replaces Mascherano.

Lucas drops deeper, Riera goes left and Benayoun moves inside. Torres has a shot from long way out that isn't far away.

Good work by Lampard to dispossess Lucas.

Great one-touch passing from Chelsea. Malouda's shot is blocked by Skrtel and goes out for a corner.

Corner comes to nothing and Liverpool break, but Riera's cross is rubbish.

Skrtel fouls Drogba.

Good passing by Liverpool across the edge of the Chelsea box, but Lucas' shot is blocked. Chelsea win the ball and break, so Arbeloa fouls Essien. He's booked, but after introducing his studs to Essien's knee, he's a little lucky to stay on.

Torres initiates a little scuffle with Essien. That is not a wise move.

GOAL! And a great one at that. Liverpool give the ball away, Ballack plays a perceptive pass to Drogba on the left of the area, he looks up, invites the tackle, rides it, and squares to Lampard who makes hard work of a tap-in. All over now.

"Eazeh, eazeh" chant the arriviste moron Chelsea fans. That is not a football chant, they've clearly been watching too much Gladiators.

Free kick to Chelsea slightly right of centre, 25-30 yards or so from goal.

Ballack curls an effort wide of Reina's left hand post. Benitez admits defeat and withdraws Torres, bringing on N'gog.

GOAL! Lucas' shot from 25 yards is deflected in by Essien. 6-4 on aggregate, so Liverpool have ten minutes to find two goals.

GOAL! Kuyt heads in Riera's cross and Chelsea nerves will be jangling like a jailer's keys.

Chelsea win a free kick in centrefield.

Drogba fizzes a shot wide after Liverpool didn't clear his knockdown. He has been brilliant in the second half.

Both sides appear to have decided that defending is boring. Or perhaps neither wants to play Barca.

Babel comes on for Arbeloa.

Good clearance from Ivanovic as the ball dropped over his shoulder.

This game has been quite ridiculous.

Good work on the left from Malouda, works it to Lampard, and his shot is blocked. Corner, which Chelsea take short.

Riera's shot charged down by Ballack at out for a throw.

GOAL! Frank Lampard is pointing at the sky, celebrating a great goal that finally finishes this Rasputin of a tie. The ball comes in from the right, and he sweeps it into the far corner in off the post.

Liverpool almost score again, Essien heading Ngog's goalbound shot away.

3 added minutes.

Free kick conceded by Skrtel.

Steven Gerrard, sitting in the crowd, looks as miserable as a man who's been charged with affray.

Barca are through 5-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw with Bayern.

FULL TIME: Chelsea 7(4)-(4)5 Liverpool.

That was quite a game. Much will be made of Hiddink's team talk and the advantage of the existence of half time, but really the turning point was Reina's error. Once a dodgy keeper always a dodgy keeper.

As he did last week, Drogba bullied Carragher and Skrtel who couldn't cope with his power, and Chelsea scored three very good goals, although they didn't look much cop at the back either. Them and Barca will be a great tie.