MANCHESTER, England, 28 January 2005 — Resilient Chelsea put Manchester United in their place on Wednesday with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford that secured a League Cup final date with Liverpool next month.

Ireland winger Damien Duff scored the decisive goal with a floated free kick five minutes from time which deceived the United defense after Ryan Giggs had cancelled out Chelsea’s first-half opener by Frank Lampard in a storming semifinal second leg match.

It gave Jose Mourinho’s side a 2-1 aggregate victory and the runaway Premier League leaders will now face Liverpool at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Feb. 27.

Liverpool booked their place with a 1-0 win over second division Watford on Tuesday.

The defeat was Manchester United’s first in a domestic cup semifinal for 30 years and it showed the grit of the London side, who are 10 points clear at the top of the league.

Victory was extra sweet for Mourinho, who was celebrating his 42nd birthday on Wednesday. His Porto side also eliminated United from the Champions League last season with a last-minute goal at Old Trafford.

He will now go to Cardiff seeking his first piece of silverware in English football.

Chelsea were at full strength but curiously, United’s Alex Ferguson opted to play Louis Saha as a lone attacker from the start, leaving Wayne Rooney on the bench.

United monopolized early possession but failed to create a clear opportunity and were then stung on the break.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben was the instigator, cutting infield and feeding Didier Drogba down the left. The Ivory Coast striker stepped inside Gary Neville before feeding the ball to the onrushing, unmarked Lampard whose cross-shot flew into the corner of the net with United’s defense nowhere.

Chelsea did not deserve to be in front but the goal deflated United and they finished the half frustrated and with two rejected penalty shouts the sum total of their efforts.

United came out after the interval with eyes bulging and laid siege to the Chelsea goal. Claude Makelele was lucky to stay on the pitch after swinging a boot at United winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

For all the home side’s vigor it was Chelsea who almost scored next when US goalkeeper Tim Howard denied the outstanding Lampard with his fingertips and Robben with an out-stretched boot in quick succession.

Those saves proved crucial. United, with Rooney adding further purpose to their attack, leveled the scores in spectacular style midway through the second period when Giggs delicately flicked a neat, left-footed cross by Gary Neville over Chelsea keeper Petr Cech with the outside of his boot.

Extra time beckoned until Duff lofted over a free kick from the right and it eluded everybody, bouncing into the net off the woodwork.

The visitors still needed a goal line clearance by Wayne Bridge and a superb Cech save from Ronaldo, though, before securing their tickets to Cardiff.

The last time United lost a semi-final in the FA Cup or League Cup was in 1975, when Norwich City beat them over two legs in the League Cup.

Serginho Gives Milan Cup

Win Over Udinese

In Rome, a late goal by Brazilian winger Serginho gave AC Milan a 3-2 win over Udinese in the first leg of their Italian Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Milan seemed in control at the San Siro when Massimo Ambrosini headed them in front after 17 minutes, but a low volley by striker David Di Michele quickly leveled the scores.

Di Michele then took advantage of a lapse in concentration by home defender Fabricio Coloccini to grab his second goal shortly before half-time.

As Coloccini jogged casually towards the ball to gather a backpass he failed to notice Di Michele’s strike partner, Dino Fava, rushing up behind him.

Fava’s shot rebounded off Milan keeper Christian Abbiati and rolled to Di Michele, who tucked it coolly into the net.

In the second half, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti sent on striker Filippo Inzaghi, who was returning after a three-month layoff due to an ankle injury, in a bid to find an equalizer. But it was Ambrosini who again hit the target, this time benefiting from a mistimed jump by Udinese keeper Morgan De Sanctis to nod a Serginho cross into the net.

With six minutes remaining Serginho curled a free kick past De Sanctis to seal the win. As Milan poured forward, Ambrosini nearly completed a hat-trick when he headed against the post. In Wednesday’s earlier quarterfinal, a header by midfielder Daniele De Rossi gave AS Roma a 1-0 win over Fiorentina at the Olympic Stadium.

It was the second time in four days that Roma had got the better of Fiorentina following a 2-1 Serie A victory on Sunday.

The result also brought disappointment for newly-appointed Fiorentina coach Dino Zoff, who took over from Sergio Buso at the start of the week.

With 13 titles between them, Roma and Fiorentina are among the most successful sides in the history of the competition.

The early exchanges, however, suggested a mismatch