Soccer: Duff puts Chelsea into League Cup final

MANCHESTER - Resilient Chelsea put Manchester United in their place today with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford that secured a League Cup final date with Liverpool next month.

Ireland winger Damien Duff scored the decisive goal with a floated free kick five minutes from time which deceived the United defence after Ryan Giggs had cancelled out Chelsea's first-half opener by Frank Lampard in a storming semifinal second leg match.

It gave Jose Mourinho's side a 2-1 aggregate victory and the runaway Premier League leaders will now face Liverpool at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on February 27.

Liverpool booked their place with a 1-0 win over second division Watford yesterday.

The defeat was Manchester United's first in a domestic cup semifinal for 30 years and it showed the grit of the London side, who are 10 points clear at the top of the league.

Victory was extra sweet for Mourinho, who was celebrating his 42nd birthday. His Porto side also eliminated United from the Champions League last season with a last-minute goal at Old Trafford.

He will now go to Cardiff seeking his first piece of silverware in English football.

Chelsea were at full strength but curiously, United's Alex Ferguson opted to play Louis Saha as a lone attacker from the start, leaving Wayne Rooney on the bench.

United monopolised early possession but failed to create a clear opportunity and were then stung on the break.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben was the instigator, cutting infield and feeding Didier Drogba down the left. The Ivory Coast striker stepped inside Gary Neville before feeding the ball to the onrushing, unmarked Lampard whose cross-shot flew into the corner of the net with United's defence nowhere.

Chelsea did not deserve to be in front but the goal deflated United and they finished the half frustrated and with two rejected penalty shouts the sum total of their efforts.

United came out after the interval with eyes bulging and laid siege to the Chelsea goal. Claude Makelele was lucky to stay on the pitch after swinging a boot at United winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

For all the home side's vigour, it was Chelsea who almost scored next when United States goalkeeper Tim Howard denied the outstanding Lampard with his fingertips and Robben with an out-stretched boot in quick succession.

Those saves proved crucial. United, with Rooney adding further purpose to their attack, levelled the scores in spectacular style midway through the second period when Giggs delicately flicked a neat, left-footed cross by Gary Neville over Chelsea keeper Petr Cech with the outside of his boot.

Extra time beckoned until Duff lofted over a free kick from the right and it eluded everybody, bouncing into the net off the woodwork.

The visitors still needed a goal line clearance by Wayne Bridge and a superb Cech save from Ronaldo, though, before securing their tickets to Cardiff.

- REUTERS