Luis Garcia's fourth-minute shot probably did not even cross the line, but it was enough to carry Liverpool into their sixth European Cup final here at Anfield on Tuesday and end Chelsea's hopes of a trophy treble in manager Jose Mourinho's first season in charge.

After a goalless draw in the first leg, a scoring draw would have been enough for Premiership champions Chelsea, who beat Liverpool in this season's League Cup final.

But the Reds held out and it is they who will face either AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven in Istanbul on May 25.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez praised his team for a professional job.

"We worked hard and we had the supporters behind us and we had to believe we could win till the end," said Benitez, who can emulate his Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho by winning the UEFA Cup and the Champions League - with Porto - in successive seasons having landed the former with Valencia last term. Mourinho was grudging in defeat.

"The best team lost," said the Portuguese, who guided Chelsea to their first league title in 50 years last Saturday.

"It was a copy of the game in Cardiff (Chelsea beating Liverpool in extra-time in the League Cup final).

"Nobody knows if it was a goal.

"One team played and the other defended and the best team lost.

Steven Gerrard had vowed that Liverpool would tear into Chelsea in the opening minutes as they had against Juventus in the previous round, and that was precisely what they did, taking the lead in the fourth minute.

Gerrard hooked the ball over the Chelsea defence for Milan Baros, who jabbed the ball past Petr Cech only to be flattened by the flailing goalkeeper.

It could have been a penalty and a sending off, but as John Terry only half-cleared, the Slovakian referee Lubos Michel played the advantage, allowing Garcia to prod goalwards.

If his shot crossed the line before William Gallas hacked clear it was not by much, but Michel and his linesman Roman Slysko were convinced, and the goal was given. With Damien Duff out through a hamstring injury and a recuperating Arjen Robben reduced to starting on the bench, Chelsea were once again short of natural width going forwards.

But time and again through-balls were cut out at the last, by the outstretched legs of Liverpool defenders Sami Hyyia and Jamie Carragher working over time.

Chances were rare, but it was enthralling, beguiling stuff as Chelsea prised and probed at a Liverpool rearguard that gains an aura of impregnability in Europe.

Even without the composed presence of Xabi Alonso - suspended after being booked for a foul on Eidur Gudjohnsen in the first leg -Liverpool remained unflustered, Gerrard and Igor Biscan scavenging and harrying for ball, while Dietmar Hamann played Alonsos role by keeping possession ticking.

Slowly, though, the pressure mounted. Didier Drogba blasted a free-kick well over, but when another foul gave Chelsea a chance from a similar position, Jerzy Dudek, diving to his right, made a fine save to push away Frank Lampard's powerful drive.

With 22 minutes to go, Mourinho brought on Robben, and with him, Mateja Kezman.

But this was not the Robben who was setting the Premiership alight three or four months ago.

He remained tentative, and, slipped through by Gudjohnsen with 16 minutes remaining, he poked his shot into Carragher's legs.

Drogba had a header defected wide, and then amid the tension, came two individual pitch-invasions, both by spectators dressed identically in black T-shirts and red hats.

The first charged straight towards Mourinho and threw a flag at him. The Portuguese reacted calmly, picking it up.

Meanwhile the fact that centre-back Robert Huth ended up being deployed as a centre-forward in the closing minutes showed just how desperate Chelsea had become.

Liverpool's Djibril Cisse twice could have ended it in injury-time with breakaway charges, but one effort glanced wide off Ricardo Carvalho, and Cech was able to punch the other one away.

And then, in the final minute of the six added on at the end of the 90 came a golden chance for Chelsea.

Terry headed a Lampard cross back across goal that left Dudek grounded. But the angle was narrow for Gudjohnsen, and his shot flashed across the far post.