Chelsea booked a place in the finals of the Capital One Cup following a 1-0 win over Liverpool courtesy an extra time strike from Branislav Ivanovic.
Although both sides created a fair number of chances during the game, they could not be separated in 90 minutes as both goalkeepers were in excellent form, making a lot of saves to force the game into extra time.
Thibaut Courtois proved to be the better shotstopper in the end as he managed to hold on to the clean sheet, while his compatriot Simon Mignolet was beaten by 94th minute header by Ivanovic.
The match, apart from the saves and the missed chances, proved to be an tempestuous affair as both sides picked up a total of nine yellow cards, with Chelsea striker Diego in the thick of controversy as he twice escaped punishment for what appeared to be intentional stamps on Emre Can and Martin Skrtel in the first and second half respectively.
Tempers seemed to flair in the technical area as well as managers Jose Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers were both seen confronting each other in the touchline.
The match started with Chelsea appealing for a penalty in the 6th minute after Willian's effort struck the arm of Lucas Leiva inside the box. However, the referee turned a deaf ear to the home side's pleas as he signalled for play to continue.
Six minutes later, Can and Costa started arguing after the latter was very lucky to avoid punishment after he appeared to intentionally stamp on the former's shin.
The Spain striker was again in the thick of action as he went down inside the box following a challenge from Skrtel in the 22nd minute. However, the referee instead of awarding a penalty to Chelsea booked Costa for simulation.
Moments later, at the other end, Alberto Moreno after being picked out with a brilliant pass from Steven Gerrard, got a very good chance to put his side ahead. The full-back fired an effort but an alert Courtois was able to parry his shot away.
The Belgian was again called to action at the hour mark as he kept out a well struck drive from Coutinho, who had managed to get into a very good position after taking advantage of Kurt Zouma's poor positioning.
Four minutes into the second half, the home side were dealt a blow after Cesc Fabregas was forced off the pitch following an accidental collision with John Terry.
Tempers began rising in the 55th minute after Costa again escaped punishment despite having appeared to have stamped on Skrtel following a collision with the defender.
Four minutes later, Eden Hazard advanced into Liverpool's box after outwitting four defenders. However, the move came to nothing in the end as he dragged his effort wide from 20 yards.
A couple of minutes later, Mignolet made a fantastic block to prevent Costa's deflected half-volley from hitting the target, before making an excellent tackle to again deny the Spain striker in the 65th minute.
The Reds were then very lucky not to be reduced to ten men as the referee did not show a second yellow card to Jordan Henderson for a deliberate hand ball just outside the box.
The game advanced into extra time after neither side were able to break the deadlock in 90 minutes, but the scores did not remain goalless for long as Ivanovic headed Willian's free-kick past Mignolet in the 94th minute.
Henderson got a very good chance to force the game into penalties in the 98th minute, but his header, following an excellent cross from Sterling, was not on target.
Liverpool desperately started searching for an equaliser in the closing stages of extra time, but Chelsea managed to hold on to their lead and reach their first final since Mourinho's reappointment in 2013.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool ~ All Goals and Full... by footballdailytv
