Chelsea dug deep and as usual had Frank Lampard to rescue them as they overcame a resilient Liverpool at Stamford Bridge and held them to a 4-4 draw in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinals encounter.

Leading 3-1 from the first leg, Chelsea were in a comfort zone, but were rudely awakened when Liverpool took the lead after 19 minutes thanks to a Fabio Aurelio free-kick, which left Blues goalkeeper Petr Cech flat-footed. Barely had Chelsea recovered from this shock, when Xabi Alonso won and converted a penalty on 28 minutes. Alonso was held back by Branislav Ivanovic in the penalty area.

Chelsea were flabbergasted, but managed to survive without further damage until the break. Manager Guus Hiddink must have given them a rollicking at the interval because the side that emerged was more purposeful and their hard work was rewarded when Didier Drogba's effort was turned into the goal by Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina on 51 minutes.

Alex stepped up to take a 25-yard free-kick on 57 minutes and when he converted, there was palpable relief at the Bridge. That relief turned to grins when Frank Lampard put them 3-2 ahead in the 76th minute. However Liverpool were not about to take this lying down and went 4-3 up after quick goals from Lucas and Dirk Kuyt. The Reds were just one goal away from securing another glorious European win.

However Lampard eased Chelsea fans’ fears with a fine strike on 89 minutes to put Chelsea into the semifinals, where they face red hot favorites Barcelona.