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Frank Lampard set the hosts on their way early in the second half with a shot that took a wicked deflection off Jamie Carragher and looped into the far corner, and Liverpool's hopes were effectively ended when Peter Crouch was sent off for an needless lunge on John Obi Mikel just a minute later.

Michael Ballack made his long-awaited return from injury as he replaced John Obi Mikel in the second half, and he provided a fine knock-down in the final minute for Andriy Shevchenko to rifle home at the near post.

Avram Grant's side will now go on to meet Everton in the last four, while Arsenal meet Tottenham again.

The sizeable contingent of Liverpool fans who made the trip south may have been somewhat concerned by the largely second string line-up fielded by manager Rafa Benitez, though the visitors held their own throughout a first half that improved as it went on.

Salomon Kalou stung the hands of Pepe Reina with a snap-shot on 12 minutes, though Wayne Bridge was called upon to produce a fine interception moments later after Ryan Babel had skipped through the Chelsea defence on the right.

Lampard spurned a glorious one-on-one opportunity midway through the half as the Stamford Bridge crowd awoke from their slumber, while Lucas Leiva was similarly foiled with only Cech to beat at the other end soon after.

Without the talismanic Didier Drogba, Chelsea strived to work the ball forward along the ground, though their opponents were well organised in defence, while Babel and Andriy Voronin provided enough problems to keep the Chelsea back four on their toes.

Chelsea emerged with added determination after the break, and worked an inviting opening for Lampard on the edge of the area, only for the England man to blaze over the bar.

Alarm bells should have started ringing between Xabi Alonso and Mohamed Sissoko at the amount of time Lampard was given, though they went unheeded, and when the midfielder ran onto Shevchenko's knock-down five minutes later, Liverpool were duly punished.

Two minutes later they dug themselves into an even deeper hole as Peter Crouch put in a ridiculous tackle on John Obi Mikel, for which he was rightly dismissed.

The withdrawal of Babel with less than half an hour remaining saw Liverpool's most likely source of inspiration disappear, and Chelsea had little trouble controlling the game as the clock ticked down.

Shevchenko was frustrated to see a rasping goalbound volley rebound squarely off the back of Lampard, though his anger turned to joy in the final minute as he seized upon Ballack's knock-down and rifled past Charles Itandje.

Michael FitzGerald / Eurosport