Liverpool summoned the spirit of Istanbul at Stamford Bridge last night to produce another glorious Champions League evening. Yet, unlike their magnificent recovery from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan in the final four years ago, there would be no fairytale ending in West London.

Chelsea, dogged in the extreme, rallied from 2-0 and 4-3 down to draw a pulsating second leg of an astonishing quarter-final 4-4, progressing to the last four for the fifth time in six years with a 7-5 winning aggregate. Can Chelsea v Barcelona possibly produce as memorable a tie as this?

“It was a great game of football,” Frank Lampard, who scored two of Chelsea’s goals, said. “We’ve made it very hard for ourselves with our first-half performance. Liverpool are a fantastic team, that’s why they kept coming back. It’s been a great tie. In both ties we’ve shown character.”

It was never really on for Liverpool — only twice in 75 visits to Stamford Bridge had they achieved a scoreline that would have rescued the tie. That Rafael Benítez, their manager, chose to rest Steven Gerrard, his inspirational captain, rather than risk aggravating a recurring groin problem, said it all. The pursuit of Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League had taken on extra importance.

Gerrard’s absence probably contributed to a dull opening quarter of an hour. Chelsea appeared to be happy with what they had. But never really on for Liverpool? Suddenly, after little less than half an hour, they had gone 2-0 ahead on the night and drawn level on aggregate 3-3, though they still trailed on the away goals rule. Petr Cech, the Chelsea goalkeeper, contributed greatly, being hopelessly positioned as Fábio Aurélio curled in a free kick in the nineteenth minute.

Chelsea were rattled and, nine minutes later, their lead from the first leg at Anfield had been wiped out. Aurélio clipped in a free kick, this time into the middle of the Chelsea area. Martin Skrtel seemed to pull at the shirt of Branislav Ivanovic, who scored twice at Anfield, but it was the grapple by Ivanovic on Xabi Alonso that was spotted by Luis Medina Cantalejo, the Spanish referee. In leagues all across Europe, every week, such challenges go unpunished. Not now. Cantalejo pointed to the spot and Alonso sent Cech the wrong way.

It was the suspect handling and decision-making of Cech that dominated the rest of the half and also after the break. Time and again he flapped at the ball or made ill-judged rushes into traffic. From one such rush, Aurélio could only direct his cross high and wide after Cech had been left in no man’s land.

No matter. Chelsea’s determination to make up for their defeat to Manchester United in the final in Moscow last season knows no bounds. Within 12 minutes of the second half starting they had forged 5-3 ahead on aggregate. Liverpool, so dominant and so enlightened before the break, had crumbled in two blinks of an eye.

First Didier Drogba got the slightest touch at the near post to Nicolas Anelka’s low right-wing cross to beat José Manuel Reina, who could only help the ball into the net. Then Alex unleashed an unstoppable 30-yard free kick that Reina hardly saw as it twisted in the air. Lampard added a third goal in the 76th minute, but still Liverpool were not beaten, Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt replying before Lampard ended any hopes with the eighth goal of the night.

“Just the desire to qualify pulled us through,” Drogba said. “We felt really down because we conceded two goals. We didn’t play in the first half. Maybe we lost our nerve. I think the three goals that we conceded on Saturday [against Bolton Wanderers] were still in our heads.”