RED DEVILS
THE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE
DIDIER Drogba gets sent off for a petulant hand to the face of Nemanja Vidic. John Terry slips and put his penalty attempt off the post. And Edwin van der Sar saves the 14th kick of a penalty shootout.

Instead of another English Premier League or FA Cup game at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge or Wembley, this drama was being played out half a continent away in Moscow's Luzhniki stadium, and resulted in Manchester United's 6-5 penalty shootout win over Chelsea to give the Reds their third European Cup crown.

The result -- which followed 1-1 draw from 120 minutes -- made Chelsea a runner-up for the third time and underscored United manager Alex Ferguson's belief that the Premier League had caught up with and probably overtaken the leagues of Spain, Italy and Germany.

"The improvement in the Premier League is very noticeable," said the veteran Scottish manager who has now won 22 titles in his 22 years at Old Trafford. "I am pleased because it was a fantastic game. I have watched finals in the past and they have not been very good because of the pressure."

With the rain increasing, Van der Sar dived to his right to block Nicolas Anelka's penalty attempt to give the Red Devils the title -- 10 days after United edged Chelsea to win the Premier League crown.


"That's the first penalty shootout I've ever won," Ferguson said. "I lost three with Aberdeen and three with United so it's seventh time lucky."

In a final that included a red card and all the flareups usually associated with meetings between English powerhouses, Cristiano Ronaldo put United ahead in the 26th minute. Frank Lampard equalized in the final minute of the first half.



In extra time, Chelsea hit the post and the bar before goalkeeper Petr Cech saved Ronaldo's penalty in the shootout. But Terry, stepping up for a chance to win the title, slipped and hit the right post



MATCH DETAILS-: Almost ten months after launching their season with a shoot-out victory over Chelsea FC, Manchester United FC repeated the feat in the UEFA Champions League final with Edwin van der Sar saving from Nicolas Anelka to take the trophy to Old Trafford for a third time. High drama Sir Alex Ferguson's team had prevailed 3-0 on penalties in the FA Community Shield on 5 August after a 1-1 draw but the prospect of a repeat looked distant when Cristiano Ronaldo headed them into a deserved 26th-minute lead. Chelsea equalised 19 minutes later through Frank Lampard, however, and they appeared more likely winners thereafter, Didier Drogba and Lampard both striking the woodwork. Dreamland Despite Drogba's dismissal for slapping Nemanja Vidić deep into extra time, the ten men had the ultimate prize within reach after Petr Čech's save from Ronaldo's penalty but John Terry fired wide at 4-4 when his kick would have clinched victory. Three conversions later, Van der Sar outwitted Anelka and United were in dreamland. Ronaldo delight Given this final featured the best two defences in the Premier League it was perhaps little surprise both sides began cautiously. Owen Hargreaves, making a lively start down United's right, gave an early test to Ashley Cole - fully recovered from an ankle injury suffered in training on Tuesday - by delivering two dangerous balls into the area and almost getting on the end of Ronaldo's left-wing centre. From the Portuguese international's second significant contribution, United were ahead. Wes Brown played a one-two with Paul Scholes on the right touchline and cut inside to deliver a deep cross to the far post, where Ronaldo peeled away from Michael Essien to nod his first goal against Chelsea, netting just inside Čech's right-hand post. Tempo rising Michael Ballack drove over from the edge of the box as Chelsea sought an instant response, but at the half-hour Avram Grant's men had managed just 38 per cent of possession. For all that, United's lead might have disappeared but for the reflexes of the 37-year-old Van der Sar, the Dutchman making an instinctive save at point-blank range to keep out Rio Ferdinand's inadvertent header under pressure from Ballack. The tempo was rising and within seconds, Chelsea could have fallen two behind at the other end. Wayne Rooney's fabulous long pass launched a counterattack from which Čech made stops to deny first Carlos Tévez's header then Michael Carrick's follow-up shot. Lampard leveller Tévez next passed up another presentable opening from Rooney's low right-wing centre and Chelsea took advantage of this profligacy on the stroke of half-time. Lampard reacted quickest to slip the ball beyond Van der Sar after Essien's speculative long-range effort had struck both Vidić and Ferdinand. Having got back into the game, Chelsea were eager to build on their equaliser and might have been in front within ten minutes of the restart. Florent Malouda sent Essien away down the right and the Ghanaian turned away from two defenders on the edge of the area, only to direct a left-foot attempt too high. Ballack then sliced wide as the United defence parted invitingly. Drogba denied Before kick-off, the United end of the ground had displayed a series of cards spelling out one simple message: Believe. With Ballack and midfield partner Lampard growing in influence, however, that conviction now seemed exclusively Chelsea's and they came closer than ever to a second goal with 12 minutes left when Drogba, out of nothing, curled a shot from 25 metres beyond Van der Sar but off the goalkeeper's left-hand upright. Ryan Giggs came on after 87 minutes to make a record-breaking 759th United appearance, yet with tension setting in neither side were willing to risk defeat and commit men forward. Overtime tension Still, Chelsea continued to look more enterprising and early in extra time they rattled the woodwork again as Ashley Cole and Ballack set up Lampard for an improvised shot that came back off the bar with Van der Sar beaten. Terry then blocked Giggs's goalbound strike after Patrice Evra's low centre had taken Čech out of the game. The ebb and flow of attacks continued, with the only advantage gained being United's after Drogba was dismissed for raising a hand to Vidić. That seemed not to matter when Ronaldo missed United's third kick of the shoot-out, but Chelsea's moment passed with Terry's slip and Van der Sar's subsequent glory-grabbing save.

FOrtune favours the BRAVE

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE


HE HAS BROUGHT THE CLUB TO ITS HEIGHT OF BEING BEST IN THE BUSINESS.
HE IS THE MOTIVATIONAL FACTOR OF THE TEAM
HIS POWER SHOTS, HIS ACCURATE PASSING AND HIS LEADERSHIP


STEVEN GERRARD today paid tribute to his Liverpool team-mates and told them they can be proud of their efforts despite being denied a place in the European Cup final by Chelsea.

THE sight of a diving Didier Drogba had infuriated Rafael Benitez last week. At Stamford Bridge last night, it left everyone at Liverpool deflated.

Hopes of an eighth European Cup final for the Anfield outfit and a showdown with bitter rivals Manchester United were extinguished by the Ivorian.

Drogba stayed on his feet long enough to score in both normal time and extra time on a dramatic evening as Liverpool failed to register a hat-trick of Champions League semi-final victories against the Londoners.

“Fortune favours the brave” declared one of the many Liverpool flags to adorn the away end. The fates, however, decreed Chelsea would be on the way to Moscow on May 21.

From John Arne Riise’s calamitous injury-time own goal last week to the fact it was a grieving Frank Lampard who stroked home the decisive second Chelsea goal from the penalty spot last night, the feeling persists it couldn’t have been scripted any better for Avram Grant’s team.

Third time lucky, then, for Chelsea. For Liverpool, though, the season is now over before May for the first time under Benitez, and the spotlight will inevitably return to the boardroom civil war that is sullying the club’s reputation and may even cost them their manager this summer.

Benitez has few peers on a tactical level in Europe but he might well be advised to keep his counsel on opposing players in future.

The Spaniard was entirely right with his comments bemoaning Drogba’s tendency to fall over at the merest hint of a challenge.

However, those words served only to fire up the Chelsea striker who justified the remainder of Benitez’s assessment that Drogba is a fantastic player, celebrating his first goal by diving headfirst towards the corner flag.

Even when subsequently shackled by the excellent Jamie Carragher, Drogba still managed to net the third and decisive Chelsea goal late on, the extra-time period an echo of the Carling Cup final in 2005.

Indeed, Drogba has a photo of Benitez stuck above his peg in the Chelsea dressing room before the game.

At least Liverpool prevented their barren run at this venue being extended to a ninth game.

Fernando Torres’s 64th-minute goal had sent the game into an extra period, but the striker, struggling with a hamstring injury, was otherwise subdued and off the field when his replacement, Ryan Babel, made the end interesting with a fifth Champions League goal late on.

Liverpool , though, can have few complaints about a defeat which underlines that while they can take on all-comers from the Continent, their main rivals closer to home remain far more troublesome.

The visitors showed character to fight back in the second half after being outplayed for the first 45 minutes, skipper Steven Gerrard rousing his troops and Javier Mascherano finding his feet in midfield, but their failure to convert first-leg dominance into more goals ultimately proved their undoing.

It was unfair that it should be stalwart Sami Hyypia that needlessly conceded the penalty from which Lampard put Chelsea ahead in extra-time.

Hyypia, who had claims for a spot-kick of his own late on when seemingly upended by Drogba, was only on the field because of an injury to Martin Skrtel that forced the Slovakian off midway through the first half and handed Chelsea another advantage.

Despite the home fans being supplied with 30,000 plastic flags and ordered to generate an atmosphere, Stamford Bridge remains as intimidating as a sponge.

That would accurately describe the consistency of the pitch last night, the persistent rain that fell over West London for much of the previous 24 hours rarely abating and ensuring treacherous conditions throughout. With Fabio Aurelio having sustained a season-ending injury during the first leg, Benitez kept faith in Riise, the only other change from last week’s meeting seeing Yossi Benayoun preferred to Babel.

Lampard returned for Chelsea after missing their title-enhancing 2-1 win over United on Saturday following the death of his mother.

And the England international was instrumental in the opening goal on 33 minutes. His pass to the suspiciously offside Kalou was helped into the path of the Ivorian by Alvaro Arbeloa’s attempted clearance and, after Reina had parried the winger’s angled drive, Drogba smashed home the rebound from the angle.

Drogba had earlier spurned a good chance when dragging his shot wide from a Lampard pass with an unmarked Joe Cole screaming for a square pass.

It was a merited half-ime lead as Liverpool, although enjoying greater possession, struggled to do anything of note with it.

Chelsea had clearly been instructed to take advantage of the greasy playing surface with Drogba, Michael Essien and Ballack all forcing Reina into saves from range.

Ballack also curled a free-kick wide, with Liverpool’s only opening coming in the ninth minute when Gerrard played in Torres but the Spaniard took an unnecessary touch allowing Petr Cech to smother his near-post effort.

Indeed, the highlight of the opening period for the travelling support was the sight of a determined Gerrard shoving Chelsea manager Grant back into his seat as he attempted to retrieve the ball for a throw-in.

Liverpool were the better team after the break, Gerrard heading down to Kuyt inside the area but the Dutchman’s flick with the outside of his right foot was saved by the outstretched leg of Cech.

And Benitez’s side drew level on 64 minutes thanks to a tactical switch from the manager and a trademark piece of opportunism from Torres.

Benayoun had just moments earlier exchanged flanks with Kuyt when he moved inside off the right wing, ghosted between Drogba and Kalou and then slipped a perfect pass in for Torres to finish sidefooted past Cech into the bottom corner.

The visitors remained the more purposeful but Chelsea were next to threaten, Essien too greedy when shooting into the side-netting from an acute angle after a powerful run down the right.

Extra-time was eventful. Chelsea did well to clear a dangerous Riise cross, Carragher even better with a saving tackle to deny Drogba and the Ivorian was one of several players rightly flagged offside when Essien thrashed home from the edge of the area before sprinting away to salute a goal that had already been chalked off.

Chelsea , though, were celebrating legitimately on 97 minutes when a tired Hyypia challenge inside the area dumped Ballack to the turf and Lampard tucked confidently home from the spot.

Drogba appeared to have made the game safe on 105 minutes when he converted substitute Nicolas Anelka’s cross, but a bad mistake from Cech to let in Babel’s speculative 30-yard effort set up a grandstand finish. However, it was to no avail. Liverpool were beaten but unbowed. That sixth European Cup will have to wait.

THIS MAY BE THE END OF A FURIOUS RUN OF THE REDS IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BUT THERE HOPES IN EPL ARE STILL ALIVE.....

Love cycle.....