No phantom goal and, surely this time, no excuses from José Mourinho. If only. The Chelsea manager left Anfield proclaiming that the better team lost once again last night, rewriting an incredible evening of drama in which Liverpool deservedly marched into the Champions League final.

The great conspiracist was entitled to be hugely disappointed after watching half the quadruple go up in smoke in four days, but his postmatch claims of “dominance” at Anfield did not stand up to the briefest scrutiny.

For all but a few short spells, Liverpool were the better team, taking the game to Chelsea, seizing the lead and creating the best of what few chances there were before the game went to penalties. But for a marginal offside decision against Dirk Kuyt, they might even have been spared the shoot-out. Liverpool’s confidence from 12 yards, both from the shooters and the inspired José Manuel Reina, was in keeping with most of what had preceded it on a wild, raucous night.

Chelsea had shown signs of exhaustion in their recent concession of the title to Manchester United and, faced with a Liverpool team of tireless endeavour last night, with Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Steven Gerrard outstanding, it was hard to think of a single player in Mourinho’s team who played close to his best.

In those circumstances, it was to their credit that they took the tie to extra time, but there were echoes of their defeat here two years ago, when tired legs as much as a dubious goal cost them in that semi-final. If only Chelsea had made more of their first-leg dominance, the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard might have been spared the cruelty of a third exit at this stage in four years.

Instead, it is Liverpool and Rafael BenÍtez who head for Athens and the possibility of a North West derby against Manchester United that will challenge the local constabulary.

Such a climax to the season will do well to match last night’s sound and fury, which had begun long before kick-off. Never bashful, Mourinho responded to the cacophony of jeers and whistles with a little clap. Suffice to say it went down as well as a similar gesture at the Nou Camp.

The idea that his team might be rattled by the raucousness of a febrile occasion had seemed fanciful, but something made Chelsea unusually subdued in the first 30 minutes. They shook off that torpor – they had to – but only after Agger’s 22nd-minute goal had levelled the aggregate score.

Perhaps Chelsea were confident that Liverpool would blow themselves out with an early storm, but if that was a deliberate strategy it seemed a risky one as they fell behind to a cleverly worked free kick. Joe Cole had conceded it by scything down Gerrard. Punishment was considerable as Gerrard rolled a low free kick across the face of the penalty area for Agger, unmarked, to stroke left-footed into the bottom corner. Anfield went wild and so did the centre half who had been so comprehensively out-muscled by Didier Drogba at Stamford Bridge.

Chances were infrequent but tackles were not. Gerrard barged Terry over, England captain indicating that vice-captain had led with an elbow. Ashley Cole was cautioned for felling Jermaine Pennant, a close pal from their days as Arsenal apprentices. Friends and international teammates were enemies for a night.

Mourinho had promised that his team would scare Liverpool, but it took them a while to do so. Drogba escaped Agger’s attentions after 32 minutes but went for power rather than precision. His shot bounced straight back off Reina.

Liverpool were not exactly tearing Chelsea apart, but vindication for BenÍtez’s unexpected strategy of starting with Pennant had come not only with the first-half lead but in the chances created for Kuyt and Peter Crouch early in the second period. Cech saved from Crouch, Kuyt rattled the bar to 40,000 gasps.

It was not all Liverpool. Gerrard was having to do two shifts – bursting forward one minute, charging back to sweep up the next – but not even the heroic Liverpool captain could be everywhere. When he was not on hand, Carragher was to turn Ashley Cole’s cutback over the crossbar, foiling Drogba once again and taking the tie into extra time.

Mourinho threw on Arjen Robben and Shaun Wright-Phillips in the hope of seizing a late winner and the failure to grab it might yet place the Portuguese’s job in jeopardy. Only Roman Abramovich knows for sure and he was strangely absent last night.

Mourinho should have done more than credit Liverpool for “fighting hard”. Reaching two Champions League finals in three seasons is not a coincidence – and nor is the fact that Chelsea lost both times.

Spanish hero always spot on

José Manuel Reina, the hero of last night’s shoot-out, has a fine record with penalties. The Liverpool goalkeeper is a penalty-taker’s nightmare

— Reina saved seven of nine penalties for Villarreal in 2004-05

— In last year’s FA Cup Final against West Ham United, Reina saved three of four penalties – by Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand – in Liverpool’s shoot-out victory

— Chelsea became the latest team to fall foul of the Liverpool goalkeeper last night. Reina saved two of three penalties – by Arjen Robben and Gérémi

— Liverpool have won ten of their 11 penalty shoot-outs and have a habit of breaking new ground. They won the first European Cup final to go to a penalty shoot-out (beat AS Roma in 1984), the first League Cup final to be decided by penalties (beat Birmingham City in 2001), the first FA Cup semi-final to go to spot-kicks (beat Portsmouth in 1992) and the first Charity Shield to go to a penalty shoot-out (beat Leeds United in 1974). Last night they won only the third semi-final in Europe’s senior club competition to feature a shoot-out.

— Last week, Liverpool’s youngsters beat Manchester United on penalties to win the FA Youth Cup

Words by Bill Edgar