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Page last updated at 20:34 GMT, Tuesday, 12 April 2011 21:34 UK   E-mail this to a friend  Printable version  Scorers Hernandez and Park celebrate with team-mate Wayne Rooney (right) By Phil McNulty Chief football writer at Old Trafford  **Manchester United sealed a place in the Champions League semi-finals with victory over Chelsea as Carlo Ancelotti's decision to axe Didier Drogba in favour of Fernando Torres backfired at Old Trafford.**Ancelotti took the gamble of favouring the British record £50m capture from Liverpool ahead of Drogba in an attempt to overhaul the one-goal advantage United were protecting from the first leg at Stamford Bridge. The striker's struggles continued, however, and he was hauled off at half-time after Javier Hernandez doubled United's lead in the tie moments before the break. Drogba underlined the error of his coach's ways with an outstanding second-half show that even brought Chelsea hope when he scored with 13 minutes left as Ancelotti's side struggled under the handicap of being reduced to 10 men when Ramires was sent off for a second yellow card after fouling Nani.  PHIL McNULTY'S BLOG Hernandez was full of movement and menace - in sharp contrast to Torres, who played in a fog of lost confidence, a pale shadow of his former quicksilver and predatory self If Chelsea harboured any ambition of turning the game on its head, it was short-lived as Park Ji-sung restored United's lead seconds later to clinch a meeting with either holders Inter Milan or Schalke 04 in the last four. As Old Trafford celebrated at the final whistle, Ancelotti cut a predictably disconsolate figure with only the very faint prospect of challenging United for the title left in his attempts to follow up the Premier League and FA Cup Double he claimed in his first season. And while his decision to go with Torres ahead of Drogba showed commendable courage, as did his decision to take the Spaniard off after only 45 minutes, he now faces the prospect of the selection potentially starting the credits rolling on his Chelsea career following the exit from the tournament owner Roman Abramovich is desperate to claim. If Torres is looking an expensive misfit at £50m, United's swoop for Hernandez can already be regarded as one of the great bargains with another prime example of the goal-poaching instincts that came with only a £6m price tag attached. United can now turn their attentions to Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against neighbours Manchester City at Wembley as their charge for a repeat of their 1999 Treble remains firmly on course. Ancelotti made the big call in selecting Torres ahead of Drogba and the early signs looked good for Chelsea as they took the game to United with ambition and purpose in pursuit of the goal they required.  Drogba gave Chelsea hope in the second half at Old Trafford Chelsea created early opportunities but crucially, given the balance of the tie, they were wasted. Nicolas Anelka was twice narrowly off target and Frank Lampard should have done better than shoot straight at Edwin van der Sar following good work by Florent Malouda. Wayne Rooney and Hernandez have developed a potent partnership and they almost created the breakthrough for United when the Mexican headed in an inviting cross, only to be ruled offside by the slenderest of margins. United keeper Van der Sar made light of his 40 years with a sprightly dash from goal to make a perfectly timed tackle and clearance on Anelka as the Chelsea striker escaped the attentions of his markers. As Chelsea neared the end of a first half they would have regarded with a measure of satisfaction, United struck a devastating blow that underlined the importance of those missed chances. John O'Shea fashioned the original opening with a perfect pass inside Anelka and Giggs was equally incisive with a cross that was bundled into the roof of the net in trademark fashion by the predatory Hernandez. Ancelotti needed to act and his response was dramatic by any standards, hauling off Torres and replacing him with Drogba in an attempt to rescue a quarter-final that was slipping away. And Drogba wasted no time in making more of an impression that the struggling Spaniard, firing in an effort that left Van der Sar scrambling and a free-kick that the keeper was forced to punch to safety. Chelsea's efforts to somehow snatch at a lifeline suffered a setback with 20 minutes left when Ramires flew into a reckless tackle on Nani and left referee Oligario Benquerenca with no option other that to brandish a second yellow card. Drogba then gave Chelsea hope, if only for a matter of seconds, when he took Michael Essien's pass on his chest and drilled a low finish beyond Van der Sar. If Chelsea had thoughts of completing an unlikely fightback, they were snuffed out almost immediately as another Giggs cross found Park unmarked on the angle of the penalty area, the South Korean making the most of the time and space afforded to him to beat Petr Cech. United ran down the clock with comfort - now time may also be running out for Ancelotti. Live text and stats Tuesday, 12 April 2011 Champions League Home Team Score Away Team Time Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea FT (HT 1-0)(agg 3-1) Hernandez 43 Park Ji-Sung 77 Drogba 77 Man Utd 01 Van der Sar 03 Evra yellow card 05 Ferdinand 15 Vidic 22 O'Shea yellow card 11 Giggs 13 Park Ji-Sung 16 Carrick 17 Nani (Valencia 75) 10 Rooney 14 Hernandez Substitutes 29 Kuszczak, 06 Brown, 12 Smalling, 18 Scholes, 25 Valencia, 28 Gibson, 09 Berbatov Chelsea 01 Cech 02 Ivanovic 03 A Cole 26 Terry yellow card 33 Alex (Ferreira 82) 05 Essien 07 Ramires two yellow cards, red card 08 Lampard 15 Malouda yellow card 09 Torres (Drogba 46) 39 Anelka (Kalou 61) Substitutes 22 Turnbull, 19 Ferreira, 10 Benayoun, 12 Mikel, 18 Zhirkov, 11 Drogba, 21 Kalou Ref: Bartolo BenquerencaAtt: 75,000 MAN UTD CHELSEA Possession Man Utd 54% Chelsea 46% Attempts on target Man Utd 9 Chelsea 7 Attempts off target Man Utd 1 Chelsea 8 Corners Man Utd 7 Chelsea 2 Fouls Man Utd 13 Chelsea 14 Final Result 93:03 The referee ends the match. Full Time 90:00+2:43 Effort from 35+ yards by Wayne Rooney. Save made by Petr Cech. 89:35 The ball is sent over by Branislav Ivanovic, Headed effort from inside the area by Frank Lampard misses to the left of the target. 89:06 Foul by Michael Carrick on Salomon Kalou, free kick awarded. Michael Essien restarts play with the free kick. 88:39 Javier Hernandez challenges John Terry unfairly and gives away a free kick. John Terry restarts play with the free kick. 88:21 John Terry fouled by Ryan Giggs, the ref awards a free kick. Petr Cech restarts play with the free kick. 87:27 Ji-Sung Park takes a shot. John Terry gets a block in. 86:26 Florent Malouda takes a shot. Fantastic save by Edwin Van der Sar. 85:44 Centre by Didier Drogba, Edwin Van der Sar makes a save. 82:34 Salomon Kalou takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 81:03 Substitution Paulo Ferreira is brought on as a substitute for Alex. 79:50 Corner taken short by Ryan Giggs. 78:48 The referee blows for offside against Javier Hernandez. John Terry takes the indirect free kick. 76:56 Ryan Giggs provided the assist for the goal. 76:56 GOAL - Ji-Sung Park:Man Utd 2 - 1 Chelsea Ji-Sung Park finds the back of the net with a goal from inside the penalty box low into the middle of the goal. Man Utd 2 (3)-(1) 1 Chelsea. 76:02 The assist for the goal came from Michael Essien. 76:02 GOAL - Didier Drogba:Man Utd 1 - 1 Chelsea Didier Drogba gets on the score sheet with a goal from inside the box low into the middle of the goal. Man Utd 1 (2)-(1) 1 Chelsea. 74:26 Short corner taken by Ryan Giggs from the right by-line. 74:26 Substitution Luis Nani goes off and Antonio Valencia comes on. 73:11 Unfair challenge on Luis Nani by John Terry results in a free kick. Wayne Rooney produces a shot on goal direct from the free kick. 72:40 Didier Drogba takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 71:21 Foul by Luis Nani on Branislav Ivanovic, free kick awarded. Branislav Ivanovic restarts play with the free kick. 71:12 Wayne Rooney produces a cross, clearance made by Alex. 69:28 Ramires concedes a free kick for a foul on Luis Nani. Patrice Evra takes the direct free kick. 69:28 Sent off Ramires shown a red card. 69:04 Wayne Rooney crosses the ball, Ryan Giggs takes a shot. Save by Petr Cech. 68:06 Floated corner taken from the left by-line by Luis Nani. 67:40 Luis Nani takes a shot. Save by Petr Cech. 66:31 Corner from the left by-line taken by Frank Lampard, Alex has a headed effort at goal from close in which goes wide right of the target. 66:18 Didier Drogba sends in a cross, Ji-Sung Park makes a clearance. 66:01 John O'Shea gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Ashley Cole. Ashley Cole restarts play with the free kick. 65:23 Free kick awarded for a foul by Michael Essien on Michael Carrick. Patrice Evra restarts play with the free kick. 63:40 Branislav Ivanovic sends in a cross, clearance made by Rio Ferdinand. Free kick awarded for a foul by Didier Drogba on Michael Carrick. Free kick taken by Edwin Van der Sar. 60:02 Foul by Frank Lampard on Wayne Rooney, free kick awarded. Luis Nani delivers the ball from the free kick right-footed from right channel, John Terry makes a clearance. 60:02 Substitution Salomon Kalou on for Nicolas Anelka. 58:29 Didier Drogba fouled by Patrice Evra, the ref awards a free kick. Didier Drogba produces a shot on goal direct from the free kick, save by Edwin Van der Sar. 58:29 Booking Patrice Evra goes into the book for unsporting behaviour. 57:56 Didier Drogba takes a shot. Blocked by Nemanja Vidic. 57:27 Wayne Rooney sends in a cross, John Terry manages to make a clearance. 56:09 Didier Drogba has an effort at goal from outside the penalty box missing to the wide right of the goal. 52:48 Foul by Branislav Ivanovic on Luis Nani, free kick awarded. Free kick crossed left-footed by Ryan Giggs. 51:37 Shot from just outside the box by Florent Malouda misses to the left of the goal. 50:13 Wayne Rooney challenges John Terry unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by John Terry. 49:46 Frank Lampard has an effort at goal from outside the penalty box missing to the wide left of the goal. 45:01 The referee blows his whistle to start the second half. 45:01 Substitution Didier Drogba joins the action as a substitute, replacing Fernando Torres. Half Time 45:00+1:05 The players leave the pitch at half time. 45:00+0:46 Fernando Torres fouled by Rio Ferdinand, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Michael Essien. 45:00+0:01 Short corner worked by Luis Nani. Ryan Giggs produces a cross, Nicolas Anelka gets a block in. 42:58 Assist by Ryan Giggs. 42:58 GOAL - Javier Hernandez:Man Utd 1 - 0 Chelsea Javier Hernandez gets on the score sheet with a goal from close in to the top left corner of the goal. Man Utd 1 (2)-(0) 0 Chelsea. 42:03 Handball decision goes against Michael Essien. Free kick crossed by Luis Nani. 41:07 Javier Hernandez fouled by John Terry, the ref awards a free kick. Ryan Giggs restarts play with the free kick. 41:07 Booking The referee shows John Terry a yellow card. 40:06 Luis Nani has an effort at goal from outside the penalty area which goes wide right of the goal. 39:50 Luis Nani takes a shot. Blocked by Florent Malouda. 39:40 John O'Shea crosses the ball, Alex manages to make a clearance. 38:24 Patrice Evra delivers the ball. 36:42 Foul by Florent Malouda on Javier Hernandez, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Ryan Giggs. 36:42 Booking Florent Malouda goes into the book. 35:48 Ji-Sung Park gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Ashley Cole. Free kick taken by Petr Cech. 35:20 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Luis Nani by Branislav Ivanovic. Ryan Giggs takes the free kick. 34:14 Wayne Rooney delivers the ball, Petr Cech makes a fantastic save. 32:05 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Luis Nani by Ramires. Free kick crossed by Ryan Giggs, Florent Malouda gets a block in. 32:05 Booking Caution for Ramires. 31:22 The ball is delivered by Branislav Ivanovic, blocked by Nemanja Vidic. Outswinging corner taken from the right by-line by Frank Lampard. 30:16 Ryan Giggs challenges Branislav Ivanovic unfairly and gives away a free kick. Michael Essien takes the free kick. 30:00 Nicolas Anelka delivers the ball, clearance by Nemanja Vidic. 29:03 Ashley Cole crosses the ball, Rio Ferdinand gets a block in. Correction - 27:00 Free kick taken by Nemanja Vidic. Fernando Torres challenges Patrice Evra unfairly and gives away a free kick. 26:57 The offside flag is raised against Nicolas Anelka. Direct free kick taken by Nemanja Vidic. 26:04 Wayne Rooney produces a cross. Javier Hernandez is ruled offside. Petr Cech restarts play with the free kick. 25:48 Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Luis Nani from the left by-line, clearance made by John Terry. 23:10 The ball is swung over by Branislav Ivanovic, Nemanja Vidic makes a clearance. 22:54 Free kick awarded for a foul by Michael Carrick on Frank Lampard. Direct free kick taken by Florent Malouda. 22:00 Effort from just outside the area by Nicolas Anelka goes over the bar. 20:15 John O'Shea sends in a cross, clearance by John Terry. 18:22 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Florent Malouda by John O'Shea. The free kick is delivered right-footed by Frank Lampard from left wing. 18:22 Booking The referee cautions John O'Shea for unsporting behaviour. 17:41 Nicolas Anelka concedes a free kick for a foul on Ryan Giggs. Ryan Giggs takes the free kick. 17:32 Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Luis Nani from the left by-line to the near post, Alex makes a clearance. 16:08 Foul by Luis Nani on Branislav Ivanovic, free kick awarded. Petr Cech restarts play with the free kick. 15:01 A cross is delivered by Ashley Cole. 14:34 Frank Lampard takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 14:05 Wayne Rooney produces a volleyed right-footed shot from 35 yards. Comfortable save by Petr Cech. 13:15 A cross is delivered by Ashley Cole, clearance made by Rio Ferdinand. Nicolas Anelka has an effort at goal from just outside the box which goes wide of the right-hand upright. 12:25 Corner taken by Ryan Giggs from the right by-line played to the near post, clearance made by Frank Lampard. 11:57 A cross is delivered by Javier Hernandez, Ramires makes a clearance. 11:14 The ball is delivered by Nicolas Anelka, Header by Fernando Torres from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the goal. 9:21 Ryan Giggs is caught offside. Petr Cech takes the indirect free kick. 4:42 Free kick awarded for a foul by Branislav Ivanovic on Luis Nani. Luis Nani delivers the ball from the free kick right-footed from left wing, save made by Petr Cech. 3:56 The ball is delivered by Wayne Rooney. 3:06 Nicolas Anelka challenges Nemanja Vidic unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by John O'Shea. 2:16 The ball is sent over by Ji-Sung Park, clearance made by Ramires. 0:00 The ref blows the whistle to start the match. Live text and data provided by The Press Association. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version Print Sponsor see also Ferguson backs Torres to improve 13 Apr 11 | Europe Ferguson unsurprised by Chelsea selection 12 Apr 11 |
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