April 24, 2006	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1427

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LONDON, April 23: Liverpool reached the FA Cup final and foiled Chelsea's bid for the league-Cup double with a 2-1 victory in their semifinal at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday.

Rafael Benitez's side will meet either Middlesbrough or West Ham United, who were meeting in the other semifinal at Villa Park in Birmingham on Sunday, in the May 13 final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Liverpool went ahead midway through the first half when John Arne Riise scored from a free kick, curling a low shot between Paulo Ferreira and Frank Lampard at the near end of the wall and past unsighted keeper Carlo Cudicini.

Chelsea conceded the second goal from a throw-in on the right on 53 minutes when a poor headed clearance fell to Luis Garcia. The Spaniard raced away from three defenders to hit a dipping shot high into the far top corner.

Didier Drogba put Chelsea back into the game with 20 minutes to go when Liverpool made a hash of clearing the ball and keeper Jose Reina, racing off his line, was caught out of position by the striker's header.

It was Benitez's second win against Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in 10 meetings in all competitions after the Merseysiders put the Londoners out of the Champions League in the semifinals almost a year ago.

Drogba had missed two good chances in the first half, the first when he headed wide after Hernan Crespo had flicked on Frank Lampard's corner from the right.

The Ivory Coast striker also finished badly with a shot well wide past the advancing Reina after breaking between the central defenders to chest down a high ball out of defence.

Liverpool's Garcia had been guilty of two misses before his brilliant goal, especially when he scooped the ball over the bar with the net at his mercy after Gerrard's fine pull-back from the right in first-half stoppage time.

With Liverpool clearly the better side for the first hour, Cudicini made two diving saves, both to his left, first from Xabi Alonso's shot to the far bottom corner and later from Garcia.

Chelsea captain John Terry headed Arjen Robben's free kick into Reina's net early in the second half but the goal was disallowed because the England defender had both hands on Riise's shoulders when he jumped.

The tide turned Chelsea's way after Drogba's goal, with wingers Robben and Damien Duff on as substitutes stretching the defence, and Reina twice saved from the Dutchman as Liverpool were pinned in their own half.

The last chance of an equaliser and extra time was lost when Joe Cole missed a gilt-edged chance in the fifth minute of stoppage time, hammering a cross from the right over the bar with only Reina to beat. —Reuters