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Chelsea reached the League Cup final after Branislav Ivanovic’s towering extra-time header secured a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in a rip-roaring semifinal second leg at an electric Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.The Serbian defender powered a header past Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet four minutes into the extra period to secure a 2-1 aggregate win for the four-times winners days after their humiliating FA Cup exit to third-tier Bradford City.

Both sides had good chances in normal time and were grateful to their keepers – Thibaut Courtois and Mignolet – for keeping the scores level in a blood-and-thunder encounter with plenty of controversy.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa was typically in the thick of the action and twice appeared to stamp on Liverpool players, but should also have been awarded a penalty when he was felled by Slovak defender Martin Skrtel in the first half.

Chelsea will face Tottenham Hotspur or Sheffield United, who play the second leg of their last-four clash on Wednesday with the London side leading 1-0, in the final at Wembley on March 1.

“This is a new Liverpool team (from earlier in the season) and a very difficult opponent. So I’m even happier because we beat a very good team over two legs,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports.

This was a very different Chelsea side to the one that was beaten 4-2 by Bradford in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Jose Mourinho making nine changes. — BBC