The Portuguese was not on the bench to see it, though, having been sent down the tunnel for his over-enthusiastic part in the celebrations that followed their equaliser 11 minutes from the end of regulation time.

His over-reaction spoke most clearly of relief. After losing to Newcastle and Barcelona in the last week, for nearly 80 minutes on Sunday Chelsea seemed to be heading for another defeat, let down once again by their inability to convert territorial supremacy into chances.

Finally, though, their pressure told, and although the FA Cup has gone, Chelsea will believe the Premiership and the Champions League can still be theirs.

Chelseas rearguard - unbreached in its last ten Premiership outings - has been the prop that has shored up the occasional shaky performance this season, yet Liverpool were ahead within 45 seconds.

There was quality in John Arne Riises volley, but the defending in the build-up was far from assured.

Fernando Morientes turned far too easily past William Gallas on the right and, as he flicked a cross to the back of the box, Riise emerged wholly unmarked.

There are few truer strikers of a ball in the Premiership than the Norwegian, and his first-time strike flashed past Petr Cech into the corner.

Going behind immediately presents Chelsea with problems, for they do not find goals easy to come by these days.

In the 440 minutes they had played between Arjen Robben suffering a broken bone in his foot against Blackburn and Riises goal, Chelsea had scored only twice.

It was not until the 28th minute that Chelsea mustered their first noteworthy attack, Didier Drogba chasing onto Joe Coles through-ball, only for his shot to be diverted wide by the outstretched foot of the sliding Jamie Carragher.

The longer the game went on, though, the more dominant Chelsea became, and the more beleaguered Liverpool's thin red line looked.

Garcia hacked Lampard's header off the line, Drogba was denied by another magnificent Carragher challenge, then Jerzy Dudek made a superb sprawling save to his right to keep out an Eidur Gudjohnsen header, before somehow scrambling William Gallass follow-up around the post.

Liverpools threat was sporadic, and the way they brought all ten outfielders back when defending dead-balls said everything about their ambition.

Nonetheless, but for a fine diving save from Cech, they would have added a second after 64 minutes, as Dietmar Hamann met Garcias pass with a smart first-time shot.

Steven Gerrard then poked just wide from Antonio Nunezs cross, but, inevitably, with 11 minutes remaining, the equaliser came. As at Barcelona on Wednesday, Chelsea were aided by an own goal, Paulo Ferreiras free-kick flicking Gerrards head and looping in via a post.

Exuberance is natural in such circumstances, but Mourinho ran 20 yards towards the Liverpool fans, with a finger raised mockingly to his lips; his expulsion was inevitable.

His team, though, were unaffected, and from then on it was simply a matter of when their second goal would come.

Duff and Lampard both went close, and Drogba hit a post, before finally, 17 minutes into extra-time, the Ivorian squeezed between Sami Hyypia and Carragher to collect a long-throw from Glen Johnson and hook his finish past Jerzy Dudek from close range.

Mateja Kezman added a third two minutes later, stabbing home after Dudek had parried Gudjohnsens shot from an acute angle.

Liverpool pulled one back within a minute, Antonio Nunez forcing the ball over the line from close range. That, though, served only to give the scoreline a flattering gloss; Chelsea were well worth their victory.