Associated Press

Cardiff, February 28:

Chelsea ended a miserable week with the satisfaction of Jose Mourinho’s first trophy in English soccer on Sunday as the Blues beat Liverpool 3-2 after extra time in the League Cup final. The Chelsea manager was forced to watch much of the final on TV, however, after he was ejected from the bench over his celebrations of the Chelsea equaliser. After conceding a goal just 43 seconds into the game through Fernando Morientes, Chelsea grabbed a lucky equaliser 11 minutes from the end through a headed own goal by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. In a flurry of extra time goals, Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman put Chelsea 3-1 up before Antonio Nunez replied for Liverpool. But Rafael Benitez’ men wound up the beaten side unable to add to its seven League Cup triumphs.

Drogba scored in the 107th minute from barely three yards out after Liverpool failed to deal with a long throw in from the right by Glen Johnson. The ball dropped at the striker’s feet near the foot of the near post and he prodded it over the line. Five minutes later it was 3-1 when Kezman also scored from close range. After Jerzy Dudek punched away a Frank Lampard free kick from the left, Eidur Gudjohnsen floated the ball back in and Kezman forced the ball home. Dudek tried to clear it but the ball was already over the line. Nunez put Liverpool back in the game at 3-2. When Chelsea failed to clear a free kick, the ball flew up in the air and, with goalkeeper Petr Cech flapping at it under pressure from Sami Hyypia, Nunez turned it over the line. In Premier League, Kieron Dyer scored Newcastle’s winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Bolton, while Middlesbrough scrambled to a 2-2 draw against Charlton.