World Of Sports

Chelsea will face Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final after a 3-2 extra-time victory over Liverpool in a thriller at Stamford Bridge.

A brace from Didier Drogba and a penalty from Frank Lamprad ensured that strikes from Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel proved to be nothing but consolations for the Reds.

Chelsea looked bright from the off and tested Pepe Reina with long-range efforts throughout the first-half.

Liverpool on the other hand appeared to lack ideas and found it difficult to bring talismanic front man Torres into the game.

The hosts looked the most likely to find a breakthrough, and duly obliged on 33 minutes when Drogba rifled home.

Salomon Kalou broke clear on the right, although he appeared to be offside, and when his curling effort could only be parried by Reina, Drogba was on hand to rifle home the rebound from a tight angle.

After dominating large periods of the first-half, Chelsea allowed Liverpool back into the game during the second period and were made to pay when Fernando Torres levelled things up on 69 minutes.

Yossi Benayoun was able to break through a couple of challenges as he snaked in field and laid a perfectly weighted ball into the path of the Spanish striker to stroke calmly into the corner.

Neither side could produce a second during normal time, despite numerous opportunities at both ends.

It took just five minutes of extra-time for the game to spring back to life.

Michael Essien thought he had restored Chelsea's lead after taking advantage of some shaky Liverpool defending to blast home. However, he was denied by a linesman's flag.

Four minutes later though the Blues had the lead when Lampard coolly dispatched a penalty after Michael Ballack had been felled by Sami Hyypia.

After appearing to be sailing safely into the final, they were made to sweat when Babel rocketed a 30-yard effort past Cech, but Avram Grant's men eventually managed to hang on.