Avram Grant made the questionable claim last night that Chelsea deserved their last-gasp equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw away to Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

The first-team coach’s contention that his side have a “big advantage” going into next week’s return leg, though, is beyond dispute. A bizarre 95th-minute own goal from John Arne Riise, a Liverpool substitute, who stooped to head Salomon Kalou’s cross into his own net, cancelled out Dirk Kuyt’s first-half opener with a precious away goal that increases the momentum of Chelsea’s march on Moscow.

Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner, was not present to witness an act of escapology because of business commitments in Russia, but he will be back in London next week hoping to realise his dream of reaching the final for the first time. The size of Liverpool’s task is shown by them not managing to score on the eight occasions that Rafael Benítez has taken his team to Stamford Bridge in the past four seasons.

“A 1-1 result away is always an advantage, but it will be tough again,” Grant said. “It was a good goal and gave us a big advantage for the second game in our home. I hope this is a goal that, at the end of the day, we see as important. We took a big step today and we can use this. From day one since I’ve been here I’ve said that for Chelsea to be considered a big club we need to be in the final of the Champions League. Roman would be happy even if the final was in Mongolia. It’s not promised us a place in the final, but it’s a good step.”

Grant’s assertion that Chelsea deserved a draw was more dubious because José Manuel Reina hardly had to make a save, while without two outstanding blocks by Petr Cech from Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres late on, the tie would have been all but over. Liverpool were guilty of failing to kill off the game during their period of dominance in the second half, with even Grant appearing stunned on the bench as Chelsea equalised, despite his claims to the contrary.

“I feel that we deserved, after a long time, to score in the last minute,” he said. “We’ve conceded three or four in the last few minutes this season. To score in the last moment made us very happy. It was a great result.”

Grant rightly singled Cech out for special praise, although all his players deserve credit for plugging away in the face of an onslaught, showing that the team spirit engendered by José Mourinho remains as strong as ever.

“Petr was unlucky when their goal went through his legs,” Grant said. “But his saves? That’s Petr. We’re used to him.” Cech said: “We’ve been quite unlucky here the last two semi-finals. We had our chances and didn’t take them. We’ve had a lucky goal, but to be fair we’ve played until the last seconds and were rewarded.”

Liverpool’s frustration will be more acute because, for once in an acrimonious season, they managed to put on a show of unity, despite the presence of Tom Hicks, the under-fire co-owner, Rick Parry, the chief executive, and representatives from Dubai International Capital, prospective buyers of the club, in the directors’ box.

“It’s difficult to understand,” Benítez said. “It was always against us. All the free kicks and corners. But in the end it was an own goal. So we have 90 minutes and we need to go and win.”

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