1-1 on aggregate; Liverpool win 4-1 on penalties

NOW that’s what people call history. Another memorable Anfield night, another semi-final win over Chelsea, and another Champions League final for Liverpool.

Like in 2005, the Stamford Bridge outfit felt the power of the famous old stadium as Rafael Benitez continued to cast his spell over Jose Mourinho in Europe.

The Portuguese had belittled Liverpool during the build-up to the tie.

Bad move.

Fired up by those comments, the Liverpool players – backed by a raucous Anfield crowd – made Mourinho regret his outburst with a courageous performance to secure a seventh European Cup final appearance.

But while the magnificent support from the stands played its part, this was a victory earned on the pitch.

Liverpool levelled the tie through Daniel Agger’s well-worked 22nd-minute strike before defending resolutely to keep Chelsea scoreless for 120 minutes to force a penalty shoot-out.

Indeed, they had the chances to win the game before the penalties with an erroneous offside decision denying Dirk Kuyt a possible winner during extra time.

Mourinho thought otherwise, but he was fooling only himself. Liverpool thoroughly deserve a second Champions League final in three seasons, where AC Milan or Manchester United lie in wait in Athens on May 23.

Chelsea could well have been out of sight after a first leg last week in which only a fine performance from goalkeeper Pepe Reina kept Liverpool in with a chance.

So it was apt the goalkeeper should assume the mantle of hero last night, saving from both Arjen Robben and Geremi in front of the Anfield Road End to allow Kuyt the poetic justice of stroking home the winning penalty and send the Liverpool players racing towards the Kop.

Now Reina is poised to follow in the footsteps of his father, who appeared for Atletico Madrid in their European Cup final against Bayern Munich in 1974.

For Liverpool’s American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, this was the kind of evening for which they’d paid their millions.

Both were in attendance, Gillett even coming down to the front of the directors’ box before kick-off to shake hands with fans, sign autographs and have pictures taken.

He ended the evening by being drenched with champagne after joining Liverpool’s jubilant players in the dressing room. Gillett, like Hicks, has been well and truly bitten by the Anfield bug.

Mourinho reckoned he was worthy of a round of applause from the Anfield crowd for his belatedly flattering comments on Liverpool. There was, however, about as much chance of that happening as the street vendor outside the ground shifting many of his puzzling Liverpool/Chelsea scarf combinations.

After Benitez had accused Mourinho of costing Chelsea the Premiership by resting players against Bolton Wanderers at the weekend, the Spaniard left himself open to similar criticism of Liverpool’s Champions League aspirations with a surprise team selection last night.

But, not for the first time, the Spaniard was proven emphatically right, his tactics and line-up spot on while Chelsea floundered with depressing long-ball tactics towards the increasingly ineffective Didier Drogba. While the Premiership remains Mourinho’s domain, the Portuguese has been continually outsmarted by Benitez in Europe.

The Liverpool manager had raised eyebrows by naming Bolo Zenden in midfield at the expense of Alonso who, having missed the corresponding fixture in 2005 through suspension, began on the bench.

Zenden isn’t exactly a crowd favourite, but he will have won a whole army of new admirers after a fine display against his former team.