The Hindu : Sport / Football : Chelsea reaches League Cup final

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 28, 2005

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Sport - Football

Chelsea reaches League Cup final

MANCHESTER, JAN. 27. Chelsea's bid to win an unprecedented four titles in one season stayed on course as Jose Mourinho's Blues beat Manchester United 2-1 on Wednesday to set up a League Cup final showdown with Liverpool.

After Ryan Giggs had cancelled out Frank Lampard's first half strike for the Blues, Damien Duff curled in a looping, cross-field free kick five minutes from the end at Old Trafford to give Chelsea a 2-1 aggregate triumph after a 0-0 tie in the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

Duff's cross, clearly aimed at his strikers, caught out the United defence goalkeeper Tim Howard. No one got their head to it, the ball bounced in front of the 'keeper and inside the far post although United manager Alex Ferguson absolved Howard of any blame.

While it was more glory for Chelsea, which has a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League and is going strong in the Champions League and FA Cup, the result ended Ferguson's proud record of 19 games unbeaten in domestic cup semifinals.

Chelsea will meet record seven-time winner Liverpool in the Feb. 27 final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Birthday present

"It is possible to win all four, it is possible to win nothing," said Mourinho, whose club handed him a cup final present on his 42nd birthday. Mourinho said he was delighted for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to go to his first final and the Chelsea manager told reporters that the Russian millionaire was showered with champagne by the players in the locker room when he went to congratulate them. — AP

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