Chelsea and Manchester United will contest the 2008 UEFA Champions League final after they secured wins in the semi-final second legs.Manchester United booked their spot in the final with a 1-0 win over Spanish giants Barcelona on Tuesday while, tonight Chelsea knocked out fellow Premier League rivals Liverpool 4-3 on aggregate.
The final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 21 May will be played out by domestic rivals for only the third time following Real Madrid's clash with Valencia in an all-Spanish encounter in Paris in 2000 and the all-Italian final between AC Milan and Juventus in Manchester in 2003.
Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona (Agg: 1-0)
A spectacular strike by Paul Scholes sent the Premier League champions into their first final for nine years on a night of tension at Old Trafford. Scholes rifled in a spectacular 25-yard effort after 14 minutes to beat Barcelona. The visitors dominated possession for long periods, with Deco twice close and Thierry Henry wasting a late chance. But United mounted a rearguard action to seal a date in Moscow on 21 May. There was added poignancy and significance in the victory, coming 50 years after the Munich air crash.
Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool AET (Agg: 4-3)
Didier Drogba bagged a brace as Chelsea swept into their first ever final at the expense of Liverpool on a night of high drama at Stamford Bridge. The Ivorian striker opened the scoring with a 12-yard strike, but Fernando Torres's drive sent the game into extra-time. Frank Lampard restored the lead from the spot after Michael Ballack had been felled, before Drogba prodded a third. Ryan Babel's 35-yarder prompted a tense finale, but Chelsea held on to seal a titanic encounter against their rivals for the Premier League title.
Final:
Manchester United v Chelsea
Wednesday 21 May 2008, 1945 UK time
Luzhniki Stadium (Moscow, Russia)
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