Liverpool 2 Manchester City 2 (Liverpool win 3-2 on aggregate):Striker Craig Bellamy scored the crucial goal against former club Manchester City to put Liverpool into their first Wembley final for 16 years and a meeting with Cardiff City in the final of the Carling Cup.
The Wales international scored with 16 minutes remaining to make it 2-2 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.
City took the lead through Nigel de Jong’s long-range effort but Steven Gerrard equalised with a generously-awarded penalty and although Edin Dzeko gave his side a sight of extra-time, those hopes were extinguished by Bellamy.
De Jong almost gifted Liverpool a goal in the fourth minute when his sliced clearance went back across goal and found Jose Enrique.
However, not for the first time goalkeeper Joe Hart came to the rescue by stretching out a foot to block the Spaniard’s shot and Stewart Downing’s screwed his follow-up volley well wide.
Gerrard was booked for an early foul on Gareth Barry before Samir Nasri fired a long-range shot well over, while Charlie Adam responded with a low strike with his weaker right foot which Hart held well.
When City launched a quick counter-attack Dzeko’s threatening cross was turned behind by Daniel Agger, but David Silva’s corner was cleared as Adam appeared to catch Dzeko as they challenged for the ball.
Bellamy was looking Liverpool’s most threatening outlet and he drew another save out of Hart after turning Stefan Savic on the edge of the penalty area.
The Wales international had the ball in the net in the 24th minute from Dirk Kuyt’s pass but was correctly flagged offside.
Liverpool had dominated the opening half-hour but they were hit with the kind of goal De Jong is likely to score only once in his career.
Having collected a square pass from Silva 30 yards out he struck the ball sweetly, the trajectory of the shot starting outside Jose Reina’s left-hand post but curling back enough to brilliantly beat the Reds goalkeeper.
It was only the Dutch international’s second goal in 118 appearances for City.
But Liverpool were perhaps fortuitously handed back the advantage in the 39th minute when Agger’s shot hit a diving Micah Richards and bounced up on to the defender’s arm.
Referee Phil Dowd immediately awarded the penalty and Gerrard, scorer from the spot in the first encounter, fired home to make it a fourth consecutive leg of League Cup semi-finals in which he had found the net.
Savic did not emerge for the second half, replaced by Sergio Aguero as City reverted to a flat back four.
Liverpool were first to threaten again, though, as Gerrard whipped in a free-kick from the left and Hart half-punched only to redeem himself by tipping over Martin Skrtel’s goalbound shot.
The England goalkeeper, as he had done in November’s league draw at Anfield, superbly kept the Reds at bay again when he tipped over denied Downing’s downward volley from Kuyt’s cross.
Bellamy could have given City a mountain to climb in the 62nd minute but he completely missed his kick at Enrique’s cross.
The Spaniard was booked for pulling back Pablo Zabaleta on the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area but Silva wasted the free-kick.
There could not have been a greater contrast with Aleksandar Kolarov’s cross in the 67th minute; the Russian drilling a low ball from wide on the left across Liverpool’s six-yard box for Dzeko, who had lost Agger, to tap in at the far post.
Liverpool have a habit of producing fairytale finishes under the Anfield floodlights and so it proved with 16 minutes remaining.
Kuyt’s pass in from the right to Bellamy was laid off to Glen Johnson who immediately bounced the ball back to the Welshman who curled home with his left foot to knock out his former employers.
Having effectively had his City career ended by Mancini after a fall-out with the Italian it is unlikely the delicious irony was lost on the 32-year-old.
Kuyt could have finished off the tie but headed Jordan Henderson’s cross wide. To cap it all Bellamy departed to a standing ovation with even some among the City fans applauding his efforts.
