Chelsea into final

Regulation time ended in a 1-1 stalemate after Jason Roberts had cancelled out Frank Lampard's opener before Michael Ballack netted the winner in the 109th minute.

The result means that Chelsea's dream of a quadruple is still very much on, while Blackburn were left to rue missing out of their first final since 1960.

Lampard opened the scoring for the prospective quadruple winners in the 16th minute, the England midfielder touching the ball past his marker Ryan Nelson to break free and fire the ball low into the far corner.

It was nothing less than Chelsea deserved, as the Blues dominated the opening exchanges and they could even have been a goal up before Lampard's strike. On 12 minutes, Ashely Cole played a neat one-two with his namesake Joe before his shot from a narrow angle was parried by Brad Friedel.

Joe Cole then came close ten minutes later, firing an effort narrowly over the bar from 18 yards, and Chelsea continued to dominate the first half, with Blackburn not looking like getting back into the game at all.

But as the half approached its conclusion, Rovers found something from somewhere, and began to trouble the Premiership champions' goal. It was midfielder David Dunn who seemed to spark Rovers into life as the lifelong Blackburn fan scurried and hassled in the centre of the Old Trafford pitch.

It was Dunn's shot on 43 minutes that led to Rovers' best chance of the half. The January signing from Birmingham unleashed a well struck effort which Petr Cech did well to parry behind. And from the resulting corner, Christopher Samba rose highest to meet the ball with his head, only to see it fly over the bar.

Hopes were high that Blackburn could continue their play of the closing stages of the opening period after the restart, but almost immediately after the players retook to the pitch, Andriy Shevchenko had a golden chance to take the wind out of the Lancastrians' sails.

Unfortunately for those fans bedecked in blue in the Stretford End, the Ukrainian fluffed his lines when presented with a glorious scoring chance by Drogba's square ball. The former Milan ace swung his right boot, but connection with the ball was minimal, the chance went begging and the summer arrival was later hauled off by Jose Mourinho.

It was perhaps his departure that unsettled Chelsea, and seconds after he left the pitch, Blackburn were back on level terms. Shevchenko was replaced by Salomon Kalou on 63 minutes with Pedersen waiting to put in a dangerous ball from a dead ball 25 yards out.

As the Norwegian struck the free kick, Roberts took a chance and ran in front of his marker, getting enough on the ball to divert it past Cech and into the back of the net.

The signs had been there, and earlier Roberts had turned his man brilliantly, only to see his shot hit the side netting, before Pedersen nodded against a combination of post and goalkeeper.

The goal clearly gave Blackburn heart and they proceeded to press Chelsea hard for the rest of the second half. Pedersen could have won it on 83 minutes, but his free header at the back post was directed wide of the upright. It was a golden opportunity to book a place at Wembley, and one Rovers were made to regret passing up.

Ballack and Essien went close to nicking it for Chelsea in the second half of normal time, but there was to be no separating the two sides, and the game went into extra time.

Tired limbs took over in additional time and after the chance-ridden second half of normal time, goalscoring opportunities were relatively few and far between before Ballack popped up to rifle home Shaun Wright-Phillips' poorly dealt with cross after 109 minutes.

Blackburn found it difficult to recover from such late blow, and Michael Essien came close to sealing up the win as time wound down, but his thunderous drive rattled the cross bar.