Barcelona 0 Chelsea 0

Chelsea's defensive discipline earned them a precious goalless draw against Barcelona to make them slight favourites to reach their second successive Champions League final.
Coach Guus Hiddink's pre-match prediction that the first leg of this semi-final tie would be saturated in goals proved incorrect as Chelsea put in a highly competent defensive shift.
Hiddink's tactic of giving holding roles to both John Obi Mikel and Michael Ballack worked superbly and Lionel Messi was marked out of the contest by Jose Bosingwa.
Barca's strike force of Samuel Eto'o, Messi and Thierry Henry have scored 90 goals between them in all competitions so far this season.
But Henry proved to be Barca's real danger man when he twice forced Petr Cech into important saves in the opening half.
However, to a man, The Blues were defiant and disciplined with full-backs Branislav Ivanovic and Bosingwa faultless while John Terry and Alex were solid as a rock.
Hiddink will be more than pleased with the night's work and Chelsea should have enough in their artillery to go on and finish the job in the return match next week.
The atmosphere in the stadium was electric with the Nou Camp faithful in full voice.
The hosts almost grabbed an early lead when a free-kick from the left reached Samuel Eto'o at the far post after Cech misread the flight of the ball. However, the Cameroon striker's far-post header flashed across the face of the goal with Rafael Marquez unable to connect.
Cech was in trouble again in the 11th minute when he surprisingly opted to punch clear a cross by Eric Abidal.
Luckily for the Czech, none of the Barcelona forwards were quick enough to capitalise on his error.
But Barcelona soon gained control of the midfield and when Messi slipped Daniel Alves clear, the full-back's dangerous low cross was cleared decisively by Alex.
Moments later, Eto'o tried his luck from 20 yards but his low drive was more than a little wayward and Cech was untroubled by his effort.
Barcelona pegged Chelsea back with a series of corners as the half-hour approached.
Chelsea's defence repelled the danger every time but the Blues were forced to camp in their own half as Barcelona looked for an opening.
In the 28th minute Xavi almost broke the deadlock with a long-range drive that flashed past Cech's right-hand upright.
Moments later Ballack was booked for a foul on Henry but the Barca player certainly made the most of it as he rolled on the ground as though he had been shot, bringing back memories of his Arsenal days.
In the 31st minute though, Henry was fit enough to unleash an angled drive that Cech gathered at the near post.
Cech pulled out another outstanding save to deny Henry again in the 34th minute as Barcelona continued to test Chelsea's defensive resolve at every opportunity.
Florent Malouda appeared to catch Alves in an off-the-ball incident and moments later the pair were involved in another spat which German referee Wolfgang Stark again chose to ignore.
But Chelsea should have been ahead when a dreadful back pass by Marquez put Didier Drogba clear in the 38th minute but the Ivorian's shot was twice saved superbly by Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
Barcelona suffered a major blow in the 50th minute when Marquez went down clutching the back of his knee and was carried off with possible ligament damage. He was immediately replaced by Carles Puyol.
The Catalans won a corner in the 58th minute from which Messi volleyed high over the crossbar from 20 yards.
But Chelsea's defending had been admirable from the kick-off and Hiddink's side showed no sign of capitulating.
Whenever the home side did break through they found Cech in their way. In the 61st minute he proved his worth yet again when he blocked a ferocious angled drive from Alves.
In the 67th minute the former Sevilla star sent a free-kick just over the crossbar and Cech denied Eto'o with a fabulous save when the Barca striker got free of Alex for the first time in the game in the 69th minute.
Frank Lampard was replaced by Juliano Belletti in the 71st minute as Chelsea looked to protect the stalemate.
Puyol was booked for a foul on Michael Essien in the 75th minute and the card rules him out of the return leg at Stamford Bridge.
But Barcelona substitute Bojan Krkic could have won the first leg for his side but he somehow headed a cross from Alves over the bar from point-blank range, and there was still time for fellow sub Alexander Hleb to be denied by another great save from Cech in stoppage time.
It was their last chance and it could have costly repercussions for Pep Guardiola and his side at Stamford Bridge next week.

West Ham Utd. 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea warmed up for their Champions League clash against Barcelona with a 1-0 victory over West Ham courtesy of Salomon Kalou's winner and Petr Cech's penalty save.
Kalou struck in the 55th minute at Upton Park but it needed Cech to save Mark Noble's penalty to keep the Blues ahead and send them into European action in high spirits.
The celebrations for Kalou's goal were marred by objects being thrown in the direction of Frank Lampard and John Terry, although that is hardly likely to affect a Chelsea team that is focused on ending its season with silverware.
They started the weekend six points behind Premier League leader Manchester United and Guus Hiddink, in charge until the end of the season, has given up hope of catching up.
With that in mind, this match served to tee-up their clash at the Nou Camp on Tuesday, with Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Michael Ballack on the bench.
Ashley Cole was also among the substitutes and, as he was suspended for the Barca clash, Jose Bosingwa was given a dry run in the position ahead of facing Lionel Messi. Luis Boa Morte was his sparring partner three days before the heavyweight clash in Spain.
There were reunions in the dug-out and on the pitch, with Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola and assistant Steve Clarke facing their former club.
Both were poised to announce long-term deals at West Ham following a successful first season together, with West Ham still in the hunt for a place in the Europa League despite this defeat.
For the visitors, midfielder Lampard was given his usual hostile welcome from West Ham fans who are still bitter after he left in 2001, while Terry was not spared either.
England's captain spent five years at the Hammers' academy before joining Chelsea as a 14-year-old, and there were poisonous chants from the home fans towards the centre-back.
It was Lampard who created the first chance, in the 16th minute, when he slid the ball through to Florent Malouda - but the Frenchman dragged his shot wide after racing through.
Kieron Dyer, making his first start since August 2007, should have given the hosts a lead shortly after but he shot tamely at Cech after Diego Tristan had split the Chelsea defence.
Lampard, with jeers ringing in his ears, had a few sighters on Robert Green's goal. One volley flashed wide, a second went straight at the West Ham goalkeeper and Noble bravely blocked another.
Chelsea was applying pressure but almost fell behind just before the break. John Mikel Obi was needed to clear off the line when Tristan prodded towards goal after Noble's corner was nodded down by Matthew Upson and Cech was out of position.
After that scare, the visitors were ahead 10 minutes after the restart.
Lampard wriggled to the byline down the left and floated a cross to the far post, where Kalou took one touch before planting his finish into the empty net for his ninth of the season.
Lampard and Terry celebrated in front of the Bobby Moore Stand and missiles were thrown towards them from the crowd, an incident the Football Association could now look at.
Bosingwa was given a breather just before the hour mark, with Cole coming on at left-back, while Zola's response to falling behind was replacing Dyer and David di Michele with Freddie Sears and Radoslav Kovac.
Nicolas Anelka should have doubled the lead when Juliano Belletti sent him through after Upson slipped, with Green rushing out to block the finish. Cole then shaved the crossbar after exchanging passes with Malouda.
The Hammers were given their penalty 20 minutes from full-time when Herita Illunga's shirt was pulled by Kalou.
Noble's penalty was struck well but Cech leapt to his left and tipped away the effort.

That was the closest the Hammers got to an equaliser as Chelsea held on for a confidence boosting win before going to the Nou Camp.

Chelsea 0 Everton 0

Battling Everton killed off Chelsea's lingering title ambitions with a hard-fought goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.
The result leaves Guus Hiddink's side three points behind second-placed Liverpool and six adrift of leaders Manchester United, who beat Portsmouth at Old Trafford and also have a game in hand.
The game, a dress rehearsal for May's FA Cup final, was dominated by both goalkeepers.
Chelsea's Petr Cech and Everton's Tim Howard took the plaudits on a night when both sides failed to make the most of their chances.
Chelsea's Cech was the first goalkeeper forced into action when a left-wing cross from Joleon Lescott was glanced into the arms of the Czech Republic international by Jo in the second minute.
Cech came to Chelsea's rescue in the sixth minute when Tim Cahill put Jo through with a neat pass but the Everton striker was unable to beat the home goalkeeper who kept out his shot at point-blank range.
Moments later Chelsea responded with a long-range effort from Michael Ballack smothered by Howard who dived low to his left to ensure the ball did not creep inside the post.
Everton captain Phil Neville was shown the yellow card for a foul on Didier Drogba in the 13th minute.
Three minutes later Lampard, playing his 50th game of the season, sent a 25-yard shot just over Howard's crossbar.
Michael Essien tried to go one better than Lampard in the 19th minute but his effort was well off target.
Chelsea were now dominating the game but Everton still had their moments.
In the 22nd minute Steven Pienaar tried to curl a 25-yard shot into the top corner but unfortunately his accuracy let him down and the ball went the wrong side of Cech's left-hand upright.
Cech then had to back-pedal frantically to ensure that a long-range free-kick from Leighton Baines did not creep in underneath the crossbar.
But Everton's spell of pressure was curbed when Joseph Yobo had to intercept a Lampard pass to keep out the lurking Drogba.
Chelsea continued to press for an opening goal but Everton's defence remained resolute.
Indeed, the Toffees almost opened the scoring themselves in the 33rd minute when Jo broke down the left-flank and crossed low for Cahill.
The Australian midfielder turned cleverly before drilling a low shot towards the bottom corner of the net.
But for the third time in the game, Chelsea goalkeeper Cech pulled off a superb save to deny Everton the lead.
Cech's performance was outstanding and in complete contrast with his recent displays.
The Czech Republic international had been suffering something of a confidence crisis after conceding eight goals in Chelsea's previous three games.
But a lightning counter-attack from Chelsea in the 42nd minute almost brought reward for the home side.
Nicolas Anelka led the charge as he burst down the right flank but with Florent Malouda completely unmarked in the penalty area, the France international's cross was easily intercepted by Howard.
Two minutes before the break Cech raced out of his goal to beat Leighton Baines to the ball as Everton threatened to open-up the home side once more.
Cech rescued Chelsea again two minutes after the interval when a cross from Leon Osman was met by the head of Cahill.
The Everton midfielder's glancing effort was well held by Cech who was looking unbeatable in the home goal.
The Toffees continued to press forward but Pienaar was again off target when he tried his luck from 25-yards.

The Blues managed to wrestle back the initiative from the visitors but despite some intricate approach play, there was little invention in their attack.
The best they could muster was a clever flick from Drogba that set Anelka racing into the penalty area but his shot flew across the six-yard box without troubling Howard.
Chelsea made a double change on the hour when Essien was replaced by John Mikel Obi and Anelka made way for Salomon Kalou.
A minute later John Terry almost broke the deadlock for the home side when he let fly from fully 30 yards only for Howard to leap spectacularly to his left to deny the captain an opening goal.
Kalou then squandered a clear opportunity when he fired high over the bar from a corner by Malouda.
Jo wasted a chance to pinch the points for Everton when he fired high and wide from 18-yards in the 73rd minute.
Chelsea's Kalou was wasteful again when he headed a cross from Malouda over the bar from six yards.
Everton goalkeeper Howard then saved superbly to deny Kalou in the 79th minute after Lampard's corner found him unmarked.
Pienaar and Cahill both wasted late chances for Everton while Drogba hit the crossbar with a volley in injury time - a miss that almost certainly ended Chelsea's interest in the title race.

Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2

Didier Drogba gave Arsene Wenger more reason to regret his failure to spend 100,000 pounds to bring him to Arsenal by scoring the late winner that sent Chelsea to the FA Cup final 2-1 at the Gunners' expense.
Drogba kept his head when Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski lost his six minutes from time, strolling round the Poland international after charging on to a long ball from man of the match Frank Lampard before gleefully tapping into an empty net.
For Wenger it must have been another nasty reminder of what might have been given he had the chance to sign Drogba from Le Mans in 1998, only to spurn the opportunity.
Although Andrey Arshavin went close in stoppage time, there was no way back for Arsenal, allowing Chelsea to claim capital dominance, while also quietly keeping on track for the treble.
And, as almost a side issue, there is bound to be a further clamour for Guus Hiddink to stay on as manager beyond next month, although it had not looked too good for the Dutchman earlier on.
Having conceded seven goals in a week, the last thing Petr Cech needed was to see another flash past him in slightly dubious circumstances.
In fairness, Cech was not the only one culpable. Nicolas Anelka was caught on his heels as Kieran Gibbs nipped past to reach Emmanuel Adebayor's neat pass.
Gibbs' cross was decent, allowing Theo Walcott to let fly with a first-time volley that flicked off Ashley Cole's hand.
The deflection did alter the direction of the ball. Yet the feeling persisted that the Cech of three years ago would have kept it out.
Walcott's goal was just reward for a sparkling start. The young England star was the pick of an Arsenal side whose movement was a joy to watch, even if the end product was not always the best.
Denilson and Abou Diaby had been asked to anchor midfield. Yet they still found time to push forward. Indeed, with a bit more composure, Diaby might have found the net himself.
In contrast, Chelsea were ponderous, their general experience costing them the liveliness that ran through Wenger's side.
Unfortunately, Arsenal in their present form are a flawed concept.
For a start they persist in passing the ball around in tight spaces inside their own penalty area when, in Adebayor, they have the perfect target for a more agricultural clearance. More pertinently, they do not have significant strength in depth.
True, the Gunners' bench contained Arshavin, Samir Nasri and Aaron Ramsey. In other areas they were lacking, specifically goalkeeper.
In all probability Manuel Almunia would not have been involved at Wembley even if an ankle injury had kept him on the sidelines.
Only on Friday, Wenger expressed his faith in Fabianski.
It looked more like blind optimism judging by the Pole's first-half performance.
On his 24th birthday, Fabianski was the one handing out presents, setting the tone barely two minutes into the game when he lost out in an aerial duel with Drogba, Gibbs forced to chase back and hack off the line as the Ivorian's header was about to bounce in.
Fabianski was then fortunate to escape when he failed to get behind a fierce shot from Florent Malouda that skimmed under his body before flashing across goal.
It all pointed to an equaliser, which duly arrived when Malouda cut inside Emmanuel Eboue and beat Fabianski at his near post, although it was hard to quibble with the Frenchman's accuracy.
Anelka hit a post after robbing Diaby inside the Arsenal box just before half-time and Chelsea continued to look the more likely scorer after the break, even though their opponent was, in patches, the better team.
An acrobatic clearance by Alex may have denied Walcott, who was involved in a fascinating duel with England team-mate Cole, but it fell perfectly for Robin van Persie, who could only fire disappointingly over.
Anelka was off target with a header at the other end, before Lampard volleyed an excellent chance wide from Drogba's cross.
Through all this, Fabianski had been relatively stable.
All that changed six minutes from the end when he inexplicably raced out of his area as Drogba brushed off Mikael Silvestre to reach Lampard's long ball.
What should have been a 50-50 duel turned into a walkover as Drogba skipped round Fabianski and tapped Chelsea into the final, where they will meet either Manchester United or Everton on May 30.

Chelsea 4 Liverpool 4 (7-5 aggregate)

Chelsea beat Liverpool 4-4 (winning 7-5 on aggregate) and denied them the glory of another sensational European comeback to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Liverpool, trailing 3-1 from the first leg at Anfield, stunned the Blues with two first-half goals from Fabio Aurelio and Xabi Alonso, who scored a penalty.
Chelsea's defensive frailties, exposed so clinically by Bolton in the Premier League at the weekend, looked like costing them a place in the last four as Liverpool, without their talismanic midfielder Steven Gerrard, threatened to pull off another miracle.
But the Blues looked home and dry after producing a sensational comeback of their own - scoring three times in the second half to lead 6-4 on aggregate at one stage.
Yet this incredible contest took another twist when Liverpool scored twice in as many minutes through Lucas and Dirk Kuyt to leave them just one goal adrift of an incredible victory.
However, Lampard's second of the night in the 89th minute secured a 4-4 draw on the night and a 7-5 Chelsea win on aggregate.
The home side had been outplayed in the opening 45 minutes and had barely threatened to get on the scoresheet despite coach Guus Hiddink's pre-match assertion that Chelsea would go for more goals.
They had to wait until six minutes after the break for the goal which eased the growing pressure on their ambitions of reaching the final in Rome.
Didier Drogba's effort was deflected into the back of the net by Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina, and a stunning 25-yard free-kick from Brazilian defender Alex then looked to have eased any remaining worries.
When Frank Lampard added a third in the 76th minute the tie seemed to be effectively all over, but Liverpool had other ideas.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez had always maintained that the first goal would be the most important but when Kuyt collected a pass from Yossi Benayoun and fired over in the 13th minute, he could have been forgiven for thinking that perhaps the task ahead was indeed far too great.
But six minutes later Liverpool was in dreamland when they punished Lampard's push on Kuyt in spectacular fashion.
With everyone expecting the free-kick from the right of goal to be pumped high into the centre of the penalty area, Aurelio stunned everyone, including the flat-footed Petr Cech, by firing his 30-yard effort straight into the bottom near corner of the net.
Referee Luis Cantalejo then rightly awarded Liverpool a penalty when Chelsea's first-leg goal hero Branislav Ivanovic clearly held back Alonso.
The Liverpool midfielder stepped up to beat Cech and suddenly the impossible seemed possible.
Chelsea had Cech to thank for keeping them on level terms on aggregate when he tipped away a header from Kuyt in the final minute of the opening half.
Hiddink's side needed a goal to take the sting out of Liverpool's motivation and it arrived somewhat fortunately in the 51st minute.
Nicolas Anelka, a 35th-minute replacement for the poor Salomon Kalou, crossed low from the right and Drogba got a touch on the ball, with Reina only able to turn it over the line.
Chelsea made it 2-2 on the night when Jamie Carragher's foul on Drogba was punished by a fierce 25-yard free-kick by Alex.
With 14 minutes remaining Liverpool's dreams looked finished when Drogba crossed for Lampard to apply the finish.
But a long-range effort from Lucas was deflected off Michael Essien and beyond Cech in the 81st minute and, somewhat astonishingly, Kuyt put Liverpool 4-3 ahead on the night with a six-yard header two minutes later.
But with Liverpool needing one more goal for a victory on away goals, Lampard ended a stunning contest with his second of the night in the last minute.
Chelsea will face Barcelona in the last four but only after Liverpool had pushed them all the way in a pulsating contest that was a marvellous showcase for English and European football.
Benitez must have wished that Gerrard had been fit enough to play as his contribution may well have been the telling one, on a night when the Reds almost managed to achieve the unthinkable.

Chelsea 4 Bolton 3

The Blues kept their title hopes alive after surviving an incredible Bolton fightback to win 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were 4-0 in front and cruising to victory when coach Guus Hiddink replaced Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard in the 65th minute.
Two goals from Drogba, a Lampard penalty and Michael Ballack's first league goal of the season had put Chelsea in total command.
But battling Bolton scored three times in 11 minutes through Andy O'Brien, Chris Basham and Matt Taylor to give the Blues an almighty scare.
The result leaves Chelsea just four points behind leaders Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.
United also have a game in hand but Chelsea are determined to keep the pressure on Sir Alex Ferguson's team.
Bolton had the better of the opening exchanges with Chelsea looking a pale shadow of the side that demolished Liverpool in the Champions League in midweek.
The home side were almost caught out in the second minute when a free-kick from Taylor was palmed away by goalkeeper Petr Cech as it arrowed towards the top corner.
Chelsea's best response was a 20-yard drive by Drogba that Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen did well to keep out.
But Bolton continued to take the game to the home side and in the 15th minute Kevin Davies sent a 20-yard volley fizzing beyond Cech's right-hand upright.
Bolton went close again in the 21st minute when Ballack lost possession to Gardner.
The Bolton midfielder set off on a mazy run but was forced to lay the ball off to Davies on the left.
When his cross arrived Taylor headed inches over with Cech beaten.
But Lampard almost made Bolton pay when his 30-yard free-kick squirmed under Jaaskelainen's body and out for a corner.
Chelsea were not afraid to shoot from range and John Mikel Obi, back in the side in place of Essien, brought another fine save from Jaaskelainen.
But the goal Chelsea had threatened for some time finally arrived in the 40th minute.
Ballack began the move by setting Salomon Kalou free on the right and the Ivorian's low cross back into the penalty area was fired into the roof of the net by the German midfielder.
Kalou broke free again moments later but this time his low cross was just inches behind the lurking Drogba.
Gary Megson's side had struggled to cope once the home side had increased the tempo of the game but Davies almost equalised when he sent a right-foot drive inches wide of an upright in stoppage time.
Chelsea went two goals in front in the 48th minute when they punished Bolton for some poor defending.
J Lloyd Samuel brought down the marauding Kalou on the right-hand edge of the penalty area and when the free-kick was played into the box Drogba's left-foot sent the ball into the roof of the net.
In the 59th minute Chelsea were awarded a penalty when Gretar Steinsson handled Lampard's attempted pass and the England midfielder stepped up to send Jaaskelainen the wrong way from the spot.
Bolton's dismal afternoon got worse in the 63rd minute when a corner from Malouda was headed down by Ivanovic and Drogba reacted quickest to guide the ball into the net for Chelsea's fourth.
The goal was the signal for Hiddink to rest some of his players ahead of their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.
Deco and Nicolas Anelka were introduced into the action in the 65th minute for Lampard and Drogba respectively and it almost cost Chelsea dearly.
The changes removed the thrust out of the Chelsea attack and Bolton began to enjoy more possession and belief.
Ballack had to clear a Davies header off the line before O'Brien took advantage of a fumble by Cech to score in the 69th minute.
Bolton added a second in the 74th minute when Basham got on the end of a Davies header to guide the ball home.
Incredibly, Bolton made it 4-3 four minutes later when Taylor headed home a flick-on by Davies.
Malouda squandered an injury-time chance to finish Bolton off for the second time but Jaaskelainen saved superbly.
But more drama was to follow when Deco cleared off the line from Gary Cahill with virtually the last kick of the game to deny Bolton one of the most sensational comebacks of the season.

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 3

Chelsea moved within touching distance of the Champions League semi-finals thanks to a stunning 3-1 victory over Liverpool in their quarter-final first leg at Anfield.
Guus Hiddink's side produced a breathtaking response after falling behind to an early Fernando Torres strike as Branislav Ivanovic buried two headers before Didier Drogba added a third goal.
Liverpool had beaten Chelsea twice in the league this season, but that was during Luiz Felipe Scolari's underwhelming reign.
The Blues have been back to their imposing best since Hiddink replaced Scolari and they swept Liverpool aside to leave next Tuesday's return at Stamford Bridge looking a formality, with a last four clash against Barcelona, big winners over Bayern Munich on Wednesday, now on the cards.
Rafa Benitez's team had only themselves to blame. Steven Gerrard was completely out of touch and woeful marking gifted Ivanovic his goals. Now the Reds, for so long Chelsea's bogey team in Europe, look odds on to crash out against the Londoners for the second successive season.
Hiddink said: "If you score in an away Champions League tie it is a tremendous blow to the opposition and that is what we aimed for. We wanted to neutralise Gerrard and make them sweat in defence.
"But it is only half-time in the tie. If we go to the second game thinking it will be easy that would be wrong. We have seen in the past what Liverpool are capable of."
Benitez added: "We scored the first goal and were doing well. But they had some chances and we conceded from a corner when we could have done better.
"After that we were not in control. The second game will be very difficult now because we have to score three goals."
Benitez's pre-match barbs towards Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson suggested he was more concerned about the Premier League title race than success in Europe.
But Anfield on a big European occasion stirs the soul like no other venue and, with Liverpool seeking revenge for last season's semi-final exit against Chelsea, it was no surprise to see Benitez's side make a ferocious start.
From Liverpool's first attack, Ivanovic almost deflected Dirk Kuyt's powerful strike into his own goal.
If that was a fortunate escape for Chelsea, they had no such luck in the sixth minute as Liverpool sliced through their defence in clinical fashion.
Kuyt's back-heel picked out Alvaro Arbeloa on the right and his cross caught the Blues flat-footed. Torres took full advantage to steer a perfectly placed shot past Petr Cech.
Anfield went wild but, with the celebrations still in full swing, Drogba had a golden opportunity to silence the Kop. Fabio Aurelio's error allowed Salomon Kalou to pick out Drogba, but with just Jose Reina to beat his shot was too close to the Liverpool keeper.
These English powerhouses were meeting for the fifth successive season in Europe and, while previous ties have often been stifled by both sides' caution, this was an open encounter.
Torres was terrifying the visitors' defence with his pace and movement. He pulled clear of Frank Lampard before curling a long-range strike just over.
Drogba's first miss had been bad enough but the Ivory Coast star was guilty of an even worse effort in the 30th minute. When Michael Ballack whipped in a low cross, Drogba had Reina's goal at his mercy, yet he lashed over from no more than 10 yards.
After such a frenetic opening, Liverpool were beginning to falter and Chelsea, sensing blood, equalised in the 39th minute when Ivanovic met Florent Malouda's corner with an emphatic header that flashed past Reina for his first Chelsea goal.
Drogba threatened again when he overpowered Martin Skrtel to reach Lampard's pass and slid his shot past Reina, only for Jamie Carragher to make a superb goal-line clearance.
Then John Terry, one booking away from a suspension, rashly challenged Reina for a ball the keeper was clearly going to win. Both players fell to the turf but when Terry got up Danish referee Claus Bo Larsen was waiting with a yellow card that rules him out of the return leg.
Just as the momentum appeared to have swung in Liverpool's favour, Chelsea took the lead in the 62nd minute from another set-piece.
When Lampard curled over a corner, Liverpool, marking zonally rather than man-to-man, allowed Ivanovic a clear run at the ball. Once again he made them pay with a bullet header past Reina.
Liverpool were stunned and there was worse to come. Five minutes later Ballack played in Malouda, whose low cross was turned in by Drogba from close-range.

Newcastle Utd 0 Chelsea 2

Even Alan Shearer's return could not prevent Newcastle slipping deeper into relegation trouble as Chelsea's 2-0 win closed the gap to within a point of leaders Manchester United.
The Magpies completed a hat-trick of successive home defeats by top-four sides as the Blues left St James' Park with all three points just as United and Arsenal had done in recent weeks.
There was plenty to admire in the effort, commitment and determination shown by Shearer's players, but ultimately they failed to take any of the handful of chances they created, although skipper Michael Owen's 73rd-minute shot was shown by cameras to have crossed the line before Ashley Cole hooked it clear.
By contrast, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda were clinical when their chances arrived within nine second-half minutes.
Newcastle now have seven games in which to save themselves from relegation, the first of them at fellow strugglers Stoke next weekend.
A crowd of 52,112 turned out desperate for the Shearer effect to kick in straight away, but left under little illusion as to the struggle ahead.
The Magpies knew they would struggle to match Guus Hiddink's men for innate skill and fluency, and decided to make up for that with effort and sheer bloody-mindedness.
Nicky Butt set the tone with a rugged early challenge on Michael Essien, and Jonas Gutierrez was fortunate to escape punishment for a two-footed lunge at John Terry which drew extended protests from the Blues skipper.
Chelsea rarely sidestep a battle and a tense encounter unfolded with the visitors pressing repeatedly, but meeting stern resistance and Newcastle attempting to hit them on the break.
Clear chances were few and far between with Steve Harper having to pull off a fine 19th-minute save to keep out Salomon Kalou's diving header and Habib Beye just getting a touch to divert Nicolas Anelka's shot into the side-netting 14 minutes before the break.
The Magpies created only one real opening when Obafemi Martins, perhaps surprised that Jose Enrique's low cross had been allowed to reach him, stabbed it just wide of the post with his knee as he reacted late.
But for Shearer, who spent much of the first 45 minutes of his reign stalking the technical area and barking out orders, there was much with which to be pleased.
However, he will have been concerned with the lack of quality of delivery from his wide men, and in particular with Ryan Taylor's inability to avoid the first man from a series of free-kicks in promising areas.
Owen and Martins combined to almost open Chelsea up within three minutes of the restart, but the visitors responded swiftly.
Essien drilled a long-range shot high and wide and Malouda's clever spin took him in on goal with 51 minutes gone and Harper had to make another excellent block at his near post.
Martins fired wide under pressure from Terry and Alex three minutes later, but the opening goal came with 56 minutes gone, and it went to Chelsea.
Fabricio Coloccini's clearance was blocked and the ball ran to Lampard, who poked it through to Anelka.
The Frenchman was forced wide, but managed to chip a shot over Harper and on to the woodwork, with Lampard easily heading the rebound into the empty net.
Jonas might have done better when he headed substitute Damien Duff's 64th-minute cross straight at Petr Cech, and his side's plight worsened within seconds.
Anelka flicked on Cech's clearance and Lampard slid the ball into the path of Malouda, who despatched a left-foot shot across Harper and into the net.
Then came Owen's effort which the linesman didn't give, a rare example of an official's mistake benefiting Chelsea this season.

There was the obligatory officials cock up earlier in the game when Nicky Butt blatantly tripped Frank Lampard but dismal referee Rob Styles decided to book Frank for diving instead of giving us a deserved free kick. Indeed, if only for the growing tally of fouls he commited, Butt should have been booked, but Styles seemed to have his own agenda.
The 29-year-old was in again two minutes later when Martins played him into space inside the box, but his left-foot shot was saved easily by Cech.
But it was the visitors who finished with a flourish as substitutes Michael Ballack and Franco di Santo, Malouda, Kalou and Lampard all went close.
Disappointed applause rang around St James' on the final whistle as the home fans trudged away hoping against hope that Shearer could yet be their saviour.