Basle 2-1

Independent:

Basel 1 Chelsea 2
David Luiz's late show finally establishes Chelsea Europa League superiority

By SAM WALLACE

Centre-half, holding midfielder and, as of tonight, you can add the title of last-minute match-winning goalscorer to David Luiz's list of strengths. He once walked a very fine line between chaos and brilliance but on nights like these the Brazilian looks like he will be an integral part of Chelsea's future.
Deep into injury-time, and having conceded an equaliser from an unjust penalty, Chelsea might have been forgiven for seeing the game out and hanging onto the draw for the home leg. But what looked like a sense of injustice drove them on to play eight minutes, including injury-time, of their best football of the game during which they ground Basle down attack by attack.
From Luiz came the winner, a free-kick drilled low past the goalkeeper Yann Sommer, and celebrated in front of a small knot of Chelsea supporters in the corner of the St-Jakob Park. Many of them boarded coaches for the long journey home after the game, unable to find any accommodation in Basle because of the large numbers attending the city's world watch fair. No complaints this time about the time added-on.
A caveat to Luiz's heroics in midfield was that he was fortunate to stay on the pitch having crunched his studs into Philipp Degen's shin in the second half. Equally, Luiz was the victim of a two-footed challenge by Aleksandar Dragovic - that was only punished with a yellow card by the Czech referee Pavel Kralovec, who had a poor game.
Where it leaves Chelsea is on the brink of the fifth European final in the club's history which, given this strange, tumultuous season of theirs, does not feel like a bad outcome. Rafa Benitez will never have the love of the Chelsea support but he might find himself parading some silverware in Amsterdam on 15 May which would make for an awkward atmosphere.
Of course, Benitez will never be forgiven if he does not deliver Chelsea Champions League football next season but as things stand, the humble old Europa League is proving a pretty agreeable distraction. Chelsea take two away goals into next Thursday's second leg at Stamford Bridge for which they are overwhelming favourites.
This was not a classic game by any means and Basle were well below par until the latter stages. In the meantime we witnessed a resilient Chelsea, a get-the-job-done Chelsea, then once the Czech referee Pavel Kralovec had given his bizarre penalty decision against Cesar Azpilicueta, for what he thought was a foul on Valentin Stocker, the away side chased down the victory in stunning fashion.
Both John Terry and the substitute Oscar might have scored in the few minutes before Luiz hit the winner with the last kick of the game. It was a reminder that Chelsea have brought Champions League quality into the Europa League and, if they play to their strengths, should win this competition.
There were frustrations again where Fernando Torres was concerned. He has been forced to play a lot of games recently, and this was another 90 minutes for him while the likes of Oscar and Juan Mata started on the bench, but even so he did not pose the threat that Chelsea need in that position. That said, he was unlucky to hit the post in the second half.
For much of the game, Basle looked like a team whose season started on 13 July. They have developed a reputation for themselves this season in making it as far as the semi-finals, and accounting for Spurs in the previous round, but in the first half they just failed to create any meaningful chances.
Chelsea were also inconsistent on the counter attack but there was no doubting their cohesion at the back. Terry, left out the side for the game at Anfield on Sunday, was re-united with Branislav Ivanovic. Also back in the side after injury was Ashley Cole for the first time since the win over Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-final on 1 April. A booking for Cole means he will be suspended for the second leg.
The home team had a lot of possession, especially in the first half, and looked much more like a side that belongs in Europe's second tier than they did over two games against Tottenham in the previous round. The Ivorian midfielder Serey Die dictates a lot of their play but is limited and the captain and centre-forward Marco Streller struggled to make an impact.
The goal Chelsea scored on 13 minutes was a soft one for Basle to concede. The home side's goalkeeper Sommer had done well to save Frank Lampard's shot on the run from Azpilicueta's cross. The subsequent corner was allowed to travel across the area where Ivanovic got a downward header that clipped Victor Moses and bounced in.
Reliable as ever, Petr Cech had to push over a short free-kick which Fabian Schar struck in the 17th minute but really that was the most that the Chelsea goalkeeper was stretched in the first half. The best of the chances fell to Chelsea on the counter-attack, especially when Eden Hazard was given a sight of goal before half-time by Moses' cut-back but failed to keep his shot on target.
Hazard had been Chelsea's best attacking threat and although he was later replaced by Mata it was from him that Chelsea's chances came before the late flurry at the end. Hazard got away down the left wing on 53 minutes and cut back for Torres whose left foot shot came back off the post.
Stocker had hit the post on 48 minutes but only in the last ten minutes of the game did Chelsea find themselves on the back foot. For all the pressure, Chelsea were coping  until Azpilicueta made an innocuous challenge on Stocker and the Czech referee pointed to the spot. Schar beat Cech easily but from that moment, the home side fell back.
Chelsea came at their opponents and created more chances in those final stages than they had in the whole game. Terry had a header from close range well saved by Sommer. Torres and Oscar both had chances to score. With Basle committing fouls around the area, Luiz seized his chance to score the winner. No team has ever followed success in the European Cup by winning Europe's secondary competition but as consolations go, it would suit Chelsea nicely.

Man of the match Luiz.
Match rating 7/10.
Referee P Kralovec (Cz Rep).
Attendance 36,000.
Second leg Thursday 2 May, Stamford Bridge.

================

Guardian:

Chelsea grateful for David Luiz's late winner at Basel in Europa League
Dominic Fifield at St Jakob-Park

They have been staging the annual clock and watch convention in Basel this week, the city's hotels crammed as visitors flood in to admire Swiss precision engineering in practice, so it was apt that Chelsea's timing was in on the banks of the Rhine. This contest was poised for the final whistle when David Luiz's free-kick scuttled through Yann Sommer's weak attempt to block and the visitors had the first-leg lead their display merited. Rafael Benítez could depart with some satisfaction, the prospect of a slog of a season yielding a trophy still alive.
The sense of deflation that pursued the Swiss from an arena where they have seemed almost unbeatable in recent times reinforced the sense that this tie is there for Chelsea to claim. The London club have never lost the home leg of a European semi-final and the Swiss have never prevailed on English soil. History is with Benítez's team, for all that they must compete next week without the suspended Ashley Cole. It may help, too, that the flurry of near-misses endured this term will guard them against complacency, but the prospect of a second successive European trophy looms large.
They warranted this success even if their profligacy, compounded by a baffling late refereeing decision, had threatened to send the teams back to England still level. Further goals should have been added to Victor Moses's early reward before, three minutes from time, the substitute Jacques Zoua headed into the area and Valentin Stocker tumbled beyond César Azpilicueta's attempt to intercept, with no discernible contact made and no appeal lodged.
Chelsea were aghast as the Czech referee pointed to the spot. "A very strange decision," said Benítez, with Fabian Schär duly thumping in the penalty and Basel's hope suddenly rising.
The Chelsea manager might have settled for a draw at that stage, fearful of his team wilting in the face of a late onslaught, but their rally in the time that remained was a reminder of their underlying qualities. Oscar, a substitute, might have scored before a trio of headers, from Branislav Ivanovic via Moses to John Terry in front of goal, culminated in Sommer mustering a remarkable point-blank save from the Blues captain.
The game was in stoppage time by then but Basel were so panicked that Stocker tripped Ramires in the seconds that remained and the resultant free-kick was too tempting for David Luiz to pass up. Fabian Frei and Stocker parted obligingly as the Brazilian strode up, the ball zipping across the turf and through the goalkeeper's feeble attempt to block.
The Brazilian's manic celebrations in front of the contingent of visiting fans, eyes wild beneath that familiar mop of hair, betrayed a smouldering sense of injustice at the penalty award.
The Brazilian might have counted himself lucky to have been involved at that stage, his studs-up follow-through on to Philipp Degen's right shin having earned him only a booking when Pavel Kralovec might have flashed red. Benítez suggested his player was merely a "little bit late" with the tackle, but Aleksander Dragovic could consider himself just as fortunate to have avoided a dismissal for an earlier two-foot lunge on David Luiz.
The defender turned central midfielder had been outstanding all night, Frank Lampard a calming presence at his side as Basel were blunted in the centre. Throw in the excellence of Cole on his return from a hamstring injury – his booking for time-wasting was exasperating – the slippery performance of Eden Hazard, and the industry and bite offered by Ramires and Moses at each end, and this was a dominant display.
The Nigerian had registered first, albeit rather fortunately, as Lampard's corner looped beyond Ivanovic, leaping among centre-halves, and struck Moses to bounce down and over Mohamed Elneny on the goalline. But Chelsea should have had more reward for their endeavours even by then. Sommer had done well at his near post to deny Lampard a 201st goal for the club, a chance created by Hazard and Azpilicueta, with the Belgian later wasteful when clean through as the interval approached.
His attempt, as Park Joo-ho slid in and Sommer charged out, had dribbled wide but his effervescent display as the team's playmaker, with Juan Mata rested, deserved better. Hazard was a blur of cute and clever passes, perfectly weighted beyond the flustered home full-backs for galloping wingers to collect.
For a while it felt as if the misses might cost the Premier League team, the memory of Basel's capabilities when they click – as demonstrated against Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-final – still fresh. Stocker's low shot which thudded against the base of a post offered a reminder of that pedigree, though each scare provoked a response. This was not to be Fernando Torres's night, the Spaniard also thumping a shot against a post from Hazard's pull-back, but he will be a threat in the return, when Basel must be expansive if they are to retrieve the tie and become the first Swiss side to reach a Uefa final.
Such progress feels unlikely. Benítez had ended Sunday's game at Anfield complaining at the award of an extra 45 seconds of stoppage time, during which Luis Suárez got Liverpool's equaliser. His team's winner here came 17 seconds before the end of the allocated added period. Chelsea, their dominance established, can dare to dream of a trip to the Amsterdam ArenA and a second final of this term.


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Telegraph:

FC Basle 1 Chelsea 2

By Henry Winter, at St. Jakob-Park

In a city heaving with experts gathered for the World Watch and Jewellery Show, David Luiz caught the zeitgeist and sparkled at just the right time.
With seconds remaining, Luiz drove a free-kick through a Basle wall that helpfully stayed open late, taking Chelsea to within touching distance of the Europa League final in Amsterdam on May 15.
It is still hugely debatable whether Luiz should have been on the pitch, having hurtled into a bad challenge on Philipp Degen, escaping with only a yellow card while the Swiss defender was lucky to have only a bruised leg.
For all the controversy over Luiz still being involved, Chelseadeserved this win. Leading through Victor Moses’ first-half goal, they were deeply unlucky to concede an equaliser three minutes from time.
Cesar Azpilicueta was somehow adjudged to have fouled Valentin Stocker, gifting Fabian Schar a penalty chance he took emphatically.
Luiz soon lent a more legitimate look to the scoreline, albeit assisted by some poor keeping from Yann Sommer, who responded to the free-kick like a cheap watch, hands all over the place. Victory was undoubtedly merited.
Chelsea had a series of good displays. John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic were excellent at the back, snuffing out Marco Strellar. Frank Lampard made clever runs and lifted in promising corners. Moses kept driving down the left, contributing that first goal somewhat unwittingly.
The matches are coming thick and fast for Chelsea so this was a huge away win. This Europa League tie was their 62nd game of a strange season for the European champions. Luiz, Terry and company returned to Gatwick in the early hours of this morning.
They host Swansea on Sunday, before the Bridge return with Basle on Thursday when they will be without Ashley Cole, who triggered a ban after being cautioned for time-wasting midway through the second half.
Chelsea have never lost a European semi-final at the Bridge. Basle have never won in England in eight attempts. Amsterdam is moving into real focus for Chelsea.
After Fenerbahce defeated Benfica 1-0 last night, there is the growing prospect of an Anglo-Turkish final with the inevitable heightened security concerns (following past tense affairs, notably in the Uefa Cup final between Arsenal and Galatasaray in Copenhagen in 2000). Benfica will expect to overturn the first-leg deficit at home but the authorities will be well aware of English-Turkish history.
Chelsea’s run-in is hardly sprinkled with opportunities to draw breath, taking in Manchester United away, Spurs at home, Aston Villa away and Everton at home, not to mention the growing likelihood of that final before the Everton game.
They took a huge step closer to Amsterdam last night. Chelsea had arrived at the neat and noisy St Jakob-Park having lost their previous two away fixtures in the Europa League but they started so positively.
Eden Hazard was beating opponents with little bursts of pace, sudden changes of direction or applying that enhanced technique, let down only by some poor finishing.
Benítez, managing in his 137th European game, had paired Lampard and Luiz in central midfield. The Englishman was heavily involved in Moses’ goal, first winning the corner.
Lampard took the corner, hoisting in a ball attacked by Ivanovic. It took a touch from Moses before eluding Mohamed Elneny on the line.
Ivanovic, thinking he had scored, jogged across to thank Lampard. Moses celebrated acrobatically his third Europa League goal on the spin. Moses is definitely one of those players who have prospered under Benítez.
Basle’s fans behind the goal kept up their drum-driven support. The players responded. Serey Die drove forward. Schar’s 25-yard free-kick was tipped over by Petr Cech.
But these were brief squalls buffeting the visitors. Chelsea were largely in control of the first half.
Touches of class occasionally spiced their play. Luiz executed a sweet step-over to whisk past Aleksandar Dragovic.
Ivanovic put in a determined, well-timed stop on Stocker. Moses, Lampard and the right-sided Ramires combined promisingly, causing jitters in the Swiss defence. Hazard shot over then missed a glorious chance as the half closed.
Fernando Torres did well to flick the ball down the left, Moses charged on and passed to Hazard, who dragged his shot wide. For such a talented player this was a bad miss.
Basle, Spurs’ shoot-out nemesis in the last round, emerged a far more powerful force in the second half. Chelsea’s defence briefly lost all shape and concentration, giving Stocker the time to place a low shot against the post.
Chelsea should have made light of Basle’s resurgence after 53 minutes. Hazard played the creator, cutting the ball back from the left to Torres, whose first-time shot cannoned against the post and out.
Basle became more adventurous, Murat Yakin sending on attacking players like Marcelo Diaz and Jacques Zoua. Basle poured forward to their most vociferous supporters. Fabian Frei shot wide. Terry then reacted superbly to clear as Zoua threatened.
Chelsea tried to take the sting out of the game, slowing matters down. Cole took it too far, according to the referee Pavel Kralovec. Cole’s booking was frustrating for Chelsea who need his experience. Basle also lost an important player when Dragovic slid in for a tackle on Torres and was booked.
Chelsea’s defence continued to stand firm. Ivanovic did brilliantly to hook clear as Stocker was close to dribbling through. Cole and Ivanovic twice cleared. Luiz then went in high on Degen, going into his opponent’s leg and into the referee’s book.
Kralovec then awarded the contentious penalty which Schar took so firmly. Oscar and Terry went close and Chelsea seemed to have run out of time. Luiz had other ideas.

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Mail:

Basle 1 Chelsea 2:

Luiz strikes with last kick of the game after Swiss side level with questionable penalty... but the Brazilian shouldn't have been on the pitch

By MATT BARLOW

After the phantom 45 seconds which had so angered Rafa Benitez at Liverpool, here were four minutes of added time sent to soothe the scars of Anfield. Talk about precision timing. In Switzerland, we have come to expect nothing less.

It was David Luiz who stepped up to fire a free-kick into the Basle net and give Chelsea a clear advantage in this Europa League semi-final with the very last kick of a thrilling first leg. There was no time to restart the game.

Chelsea had been leading through a first-half header from Victor Moses but were guilty of squandering chances which might have killed the tie in the manner of a German team in the Champions League.

Back came Basle, roared on by their noisy supporters, but they required a terrible decision from Czech referee Pavel Kralovec, who spotted a foul where there was none and awarded the Swiss champions an 86th-minute penalty.

Cesar Azpilicueta and Valentin Stocker jostled for a cross from the right and tumbled together as the ball whizzed by. No-one even appealed but Kralovec pointed to the penalty spot and Fabian Schar scored.

Chelsea found some spirit. Fernando Torres, Oscar and John Terry went close but we seemed set for another tale of injustice for Benitez until Luiz stepped up.

Basle might argue that the Brazilian, deployed in midfield for the first time since January, was lucky to be on the field after a bad challenge on Philipp Degen late in the game which left the Swiss rolling around in agony.

Luiz was booked. Ashley Cole was booked, too, for dithering over a throw-in, and will miss the second leg next week. Chelsea should still have the class to make it into next month’s final.

Basle have strong attacking options and will come to Stamford Bridge with nothing to lose but Benitez will set up his team to pick them off on the break. This strategy proved successful last night. Or it would have if the finishing had proved more clinical.

Chelsea still getting raw deal from refs

Chelsea must feel aggrieved as the victims of yet another poor refereeing decision.

Cesar Azpilicueta was judged to have blocked or tripped Valentin Stocker but the decision was baffling.

It was so bad that it was impossible to tell what referee Pavel Kralovec had seen to award it.

Azpilicueta had an equally dubious penalty given against him in the previous round against Rubin Kazan and Chelsea must be hoping for better fortune with the officials in the return leg.

Basle showed positive intent which set a pulsating tempo but played to Chelsea’s speed on the break. This helped them take the lead after 12 minutes.

Azpilicueta stormed down the right and swung the ball over to Frank Lampard, who arrived at the near post with an attempt to guide the ball past goalkeeper Yann Sommer with the outside of his boot.

Sommer produced a smart save, tipping the ball wide, but the visitors went ahead from the corner. Ivanovic attacked the ball. He was unable to make solid contact but his positive run dragged two defenders with him under the flight of the ball. Moses reacted quickly behind this pack of players to head the chance into the net. Ivanovic thought it was his goal and ran off to celebrate but it was rightly credited to Moses, who performed a handspring of delight. It was his ninth of the season and he has found the target in the last three Europa League games.

Basle hit back. Petr Cech made a fine save to push over a fierce free-kick by Schar. The Chelsea keeper also denied Mohamed Elneny, while Stocker flashed a shot into the side-netting.

The Swiss sought angles for passes around the box but Chelsea’s defence held out and sprang a series of counter-attacks.

Torres saw one shot blocked by Schar, another saved and then miscued an ambitious overhead kick. Sommer made an excellent save from Ramires after Lampard kept alive a low cross by Moses. The best chance of this spell dropped to Eden Hazard. Torres released Moses with a clever flick and the left-winger slid a pass square. Hazard’s first touch was not perfect and forced him to stab at a shot, which he pulled wide.

As Benitez paced to the dressing room at half-time he must have wondered if his team would live to regret these missed opportunities. The thought may have recurred when the woodwork started to  rattle after the break.

First Stocker cut inside from the left and pulled a low shot against the foot of the post. Cech could only stand and watch, then breathe a sigh of relief as the ball bounced clear. Moments later, Torres thumped a left-footer on to the post at the other end after good work from Hazard.

Juan Mata was sent on to add polish in front of goal but the game acquired a nasty streak. There was a flurry of bookings and an ill- tempered finish. Basle’s stylish young centre half Aleksandar Dragovic was booked and he will miss the return.

Cech protected his goal brilliantly, helped by some thou-shall-not-pass defending which issued reminders of last season’s  European triumph in Munich. They could do little about the penalty.

Schar sent Cech the wrong way from the spot but up popped Luiz to condemn Basle to their first home defeat of a European campaign which started in July.

As for Chelsea, after their own long and twisting season which has now included 62 games, there is the promise of one more — another European final, this time in the Dutch capital.

Well I’ll be Amsterdammed.

==============

Mirror:

FC Basel 1-2 Chelsea: Late Luiz free-kick puts Blues on brink of Europa League final
From Martin Lipton in Basel

In the end, from the final kick of the night, Chelsea got what they deserved.
David Luiz' free-kick, through the Basel wall and the grasp of keeper Yann Sommer, left the watching Roger Federer with something else to groan about as a ball hit the net in front of him.
On a night when the Bluesrediscovered some of their old virtues - desire, determination and resolve - it still needed a modicum of fortune as Luiz arrowed through a gap that should not have been there.
There could be no complaints from the home fans inside a fervent St Jakob Park that their heroes were beaten in the first leg of this Europa League semi-final - even if they had been baying for Luiz's blood moments beforehand, following a studs-up lunge.
After all, Basel had been handed a way back into the tie courtesy of one of the worst refereeing decisions you will see in Europe this season, just at the moment they looked to have run out of ideas.
Quite how Czech whistler Pavel Kralovec deemed Valentin Stocker's tumble in the mere vicinity of Cesar Azpilicueta was a penalty defied belief.
Even the Basel wideman did not appeal.

But Luiz's strike means that, assuming there is no outbreak of spontaneous defensive combustion at the Bridge next week, destiny calls for Rafa Benitez in Amsterdam.
Surely, now, he will have the chance to add the Europa League to his CV with more silverware, even if the majority of Chelsea fans will expunge the manager's name from their memory banks.
And while those Blues fans cannot see any good in the Spaniard, some of them might, just might, acknowledge that he has to take the credit for bringing the best out of Hazard and transforming Luiz's reputation as well.
Here, until Kralovec's late intervention appeared set to have stolen victory from the Blues, it was a classic away European performance - the sort Benitez's Liverpool were so adept at.
Basel may have hustled and harried Spurs out of this competition when they kept their nerve from 12 yards in the previous round, but Chelsea were always far more convincing here.
A goal up inside 12 minutes, when Victor Moses got the last touch after the recalled Frank Lampard had picked out Branislav Ivanovic from a right-wing corner, this could have been done and dusted inside an hour.



With Luiz patrolling in front of the back four, Hazard wandering wherever he wanted and the restored John Terry and Ivanovic a buttress, Chelsea were dominant.
Lampard, found by Azpilicueta's near-post delivery, was foiled at close range, Ramires, teased in by the England veteran after great work by Moses, denied by Sommer.
And in the last minute of the first half, the sole moment of weakness by Hazard, dragging wide of the gaping target after being set free by Moses.
Even when dangerman Valentin Stocker rolled against the outside of Per Cech's goal soon after the restart - Luiz was reluctant to make a challenge from behind - Chelsea simply rolled up their sleeves.
Centre-back Fabian Schar was reduced to blatant thuggery to try to stop the elusive Hazard, chopping him down at the knees on one occasion, before a blatant body-check failed to prevent the Belgian zipping into the box to pull back.

Sadly, Torres wasted that chance, smashing against the inside of the post from 11 yards, with the Spaniard relieved soon afterwards that the flag had been raised against Ramires before he failed to convert with the goal at his mercy.
In truth, Cech had hardly been troubled and if Chelsea grew slightly ragged towards the end, that was surely a result of their relentless fixture programme.
But three minutes from time, the shocker for Stocker - Chelsea's fury was clear and righteous - was compounded as Schar, lucky to still be on the pitch, stroked home.

Suddenly, all changed.
Torres miskicked horribly when he had to do better, Luiz went over the top on Philipp Degen - it could easily have been red, not yellow - and Sommer somehow denied Terry from a yard.
It looked, for all the world, as if Chelsea would be made to pay for their failings in front of goal, making for an anxious evening back in SW6 next Thursday.
But deep into stoppage time - notthe seven minutes of Anfield on Sunday, just the five - Stocker was deemed to have fouled Ramires.
Up stepped Luiz, the wall parted - between Stocker and Fabien Frei - and Sommer's slippery fingers gave Chelsea the victory they deserved.
A fifth European Final awaits.


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Sun:

SO the Spanish waiter gets one over on Basel.

Shaun Custis


There was nothing too faulty about this performance from Rafa Benitez’s men, who take a crucial lead and two away goals back to Stamford Bridge.

A dramatic last-gasp free-kick from David Luiz gave the Blues the advantage in this Europa League semi-final first-leg clash.

That was after a Victor Moses opener had been cancelled out by a controversial penalty three minutes from time.

Cesar Azpilicueta looked to have won the ball perfectly and hooked it away from Valentin Stocker yet, to the visitors’ astonishment, Czech ref Pavel Kralovec pointed to the spot.

Fabian Schar stuck it away but Chelsea, stung by what they felt was a grave injustice, had the last laugh.

It means Benitez, dubbed ‘The Fat Spanish Waiter’ by Blues fans who cannot wait to see the back of him, remains on course for a final hurrah in Amsterdam.

Having won the UEFA Cup, Champions League and European Super Cup in his managerial career, this would be another impressive addition to his CV. But the interim boss will not be around to enjoy the growing power of the Brazilian Luiz next season.

Luiz, normally a centre-back, was pressed into service in midfield where he has far more effect on the game and was always involved.

He is becoming the main man at Chelsea and is hotly tipped to take over the captaincy from John Terry.

Luiz was, though, perhaps lucky still to be on the field to fire home the winner.

He put in a nasty tackle on former Liverpool defender Philipp Degen 10 minutes from the end, which earned him a yellow card and could easily have been a red.

English clubs have learned to their cost that Basel are no mugs.

The Swiss League leaders dumped Spurs out of this competition on penalties in the quarter-finals.

And last season they rocked Manchester United, drawing at Old Trafford and beating them 2-1 at home, to send Fergie’s men crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage.

Chelsea were playing their 62nd game of a long campaign.

But Basel were not far behind, having started their European journey way back in mid-July at the Champions League qualifying stage.

It was Basel who enjoyed the early possession and worried Petr Cech with a speculative side-footer from Mohamed Elneny which had the keeper back-pedalling before it landed on the roof of the net.

But then Frank Lampard, still chasing that Blues goalscoring record, prodded out a boot to meet Azpilicueta’s cross only to be denied by keeper Yann Sommer.

It mattered not because from the resulting Lampard corner, Chelsea took the lead.

Branislav Ivanovic climbed to head it on and, though he missed it, Moses either instinctively reacted or the ball hit him.

Either way it bounced down and up into the net.

Watching in the stand was tennis great Roger Federer, a big Basel fan, who must have been as deflated as the rest of the home support who, up until then, had been making a right racket.

Basel picked themselves up and a flying tip-over from Cech kept out Schar’s 30-yard free-kick. They seemed to have a case for a penalty too as Ivanovic was beaten and, in trying to recover, clambered over Stocker who tumbled to the ground.

Was the ref making up for that one with the one he gave?

With Luiz accomplished in his defensive duties at the base of the midfield, Lampard was free to roam further forward and get Fernando Torres involved.

The Spanish striker had a couple of efforts on goal, one of which was blocked by the defence and another saved by Sommer.

Lampard then picked out Ramires, whose shot towards the bottom corner required the alert Sommer to get his right hand in the way.

But Eden Hazard, having just skied a shot over the bar, really should have made it two just before the break.

Moses got away down the left and passed to the Belgian in the middle but, after a poor first touch, Hazard scuffed past the post.

Hazard was almost made to pay for that error two minutes into the second half.

Stocker cut in from the left past Luiz, Ivanovic did not close him down and the shot struck the base of a post with Cech stood still and helpless.

If that was unlucky for Basel, Chelsea were just as unfortunate themselves.

Hazard showed real strength to ride a robust challenge by Schar and, when he cut it back, the masked Torres swung his left foot first time only to see the ball cannon back off the upright.

There was plenty going on and Marco Streller made a mess of a header at the back post from a deep corner with the Chelsea defence beaten.

Fabien Frei was not far away either with a 25-yard special, before Ashley Cole ruled himself out of the second leg by being booked for time-wasting at a throw-in.

Basel kept coming but a lack of composure in front of goal was costing them dearly.

That was until the ref generously intervened and threw them a lifeline after Azpilicueta’s supposed foul.

The St Jakob Stadium was jumping as Schar scored the penalty and at that point Basel were being roared on to get a second.

But Chelsea were angry men and Terry’s header was beaten out by Sommer.

And when Ramires was fouled, Chelsea had another chance with the last kick of the game.

Up stepped Luiz and the ball beat Sommer in the corner.

What a way to finish it.

DREAM TEAM STAR MAN - EDEN HAZARD (Chelsea)

CHELSEA: Cech 7, Azpilicueta 6, Ivanovic 8, Terry 7, A Cole 7, Ramires 7, Luiz 7, Lampard 6, Hazard 8, Moses 6, Torres 6. Subs: Mata (Hazard 71) 6, Oscar (Lampard 79) 5. Not used: Turnbull, Cahill, Bertrand, Mikel, Benayoun. Booked: Cole, Luiz, Azpilicueta.

BASEL: Somner 6, P Degen 6, Schar 7, Dragovic 7, Park 6, Elneny 5, F Frei 6, Die 6, Stocker 7, Salah 6, Streller 5. Subs: Diaz (Geoffroy 61) 5, Zoua (El-Nenny 65) 5, Degen (Salah 78) 5. Not used: Vailati, Sauro, Steinhofer, Cabral. Booked: Dragovic, Degen, Schar.

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Express:

FC Basle 1 - Chelsea 2: David Luiz is last minute hero

Tony Banks

It was the last kick of the game, a free kick from the edge of the penalty area which crept low into the corner of the net.
It had looked as if Chelsea had been denied victory when Fabian Schar equalised for Basle in the 87th minute with a hotly-disputed penalty after Victor Moses had put Chelsea ahead as early as the 12th minute.
Rafa Benitez’ side put up a solid, professional display as Moses’ first-half goal when the ball hit him and rebounded into the net gave them the perfect start.
The goal came from Frank Lampard’s corner and Chelsea defended that lead stoutly.
Chelsea will now be favourites to make it to their second European final in two years, in Amsterdam on May 15.
In fact, Chelsea could and should have killed off this semi-final in the first half as Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres both missed golden chances.
Benitez, of course, had been here before. He won the Uefa Cup with Valencia in 2004 and was knocked out in the semi-final of the Europa League with Liverpool by Atletico Madrid in 2010.
If that curriculum vitae, which he reckons has already been burnished by this brief spell at Chelsea, is to look really good in the future, he needed to avoid that agony again and steer Chelsea to the final – and victory there.
But first Chelsea had to overcome a Basle team unbeaten at home in the Europa League this season and deserved conquerors of Tottenham in the quarter finals.
Murat Yakin’s side are top of the Swiss league and unbeaten in eight games going into last night’s tie.
Chelsea, by stark contrast, had lost four of their last five European away games.
Benitez, as expected, rang the changes again after Sunday’s draw at Liverpool, bringing back skipper John Terry, Lampard and Moses and Ashley Cole after six games out. Torres, who had played every minute of the Europa League campaign so far, continued up front.Chelsea needed to show more solidity and strength than in recent European trips. This, after all, is their last chance of honours in this turbulent season.
Mohamed Elheny floated a cross shot just over as the Swiss side pressed from the start, but Chelsea hit back immediately.
First Lampard saw his flick turned round the post by goalkeeper Yann Sommer. But then from Lampard’s corner came the early goal Chelsea needed. Branislav Ivanovic flicked the ball on and it rebounded off Moses into the net.

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Star:

Basel 1-Chelsea 2: David Luiz strike saves Blues
Paul Brown

DAVID LUIZ struck with the last kick of the game to set Chelsea on course for a lads' night out in Amsterdam.
The Brazilian smashed in a 25-yard free-kick that Basel goalkeeper Yann Sommer let slip through his fingers to give Rafa Benitez's men a valuable lead to take back to Stamford Bridge.
Earlier Victor Moses had given Chelsea a lead which looked like it might be enough before a controversial penalty gave Fabian Schar the chance to equalise three minutes from the end of normal time.
For Moses, it was the third game running that he had scored in the Europa League as Chelsea attempted to reach the final in the Netherlands capital on May 15.
Moses scored in both legs of the previous round against the Russians of Rubin Kazan and took his tally to nine for the season with a first-half strike here.
Fernando Torres also hit the woodwork for Chelsea, who were hoping to bounce back after conceding that late equaliser at Liverpool on Sunday.
After watching Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund tearing the Champions League apart this week, Chelsea must have been relieved not to be facing a team from Germany.
The bad news for them was that Basel is right on the border with club football's new powerhouse nation, and has proved a graveyard for English sides in recent years.
Manchester United lost here in the Champions League in 2011 and Tottenham went down on penalties in the last round of this competition.
For Chelsea it must feel like a consolation prize, though. Twelve months ago the Blues were on their way to pocketing European football's biggest piece of silverware on a famous night in Munich.
Still, a trophy is a trophy and this is the only one left to Benitez and co this season.
There were recalls for John Terry and Frank Lampard, as well as Ashley Cole, who started his first match since April Fool's Day.
Oscar and Juan Mata were rested but sat on the bench just in case.
No-one could accuse Branislav Ivanovic of being once bitten, twice shy either, because the Serb kept his place at the heart of the back four after the ugly events at Anfield involving Luis Suarez.
Basel boss Murat Yakin had teased Ivanovic in the build-up to the game, joking tastelessly that he hoped the defender had not caught rabies.
Ivanovic was inches away from putting Chelsea in front, though. Frank Lampard won a corner by forcing a near-post save out of Sommer.
He floated the dead ball into the danger area and, though it brushed Ivanovic's head it was Moses who got the final touch to give the Blues a priceless away goal.
Basel responded quickly, with Petr Cech only just managing to tip over a fierce 25-yard drive from Schar.
But Chelsea looked dangerous going forward and Sommer made an even better save from Ramires moments later.
Fernando Torres and Eden Hazard both wasted decent opportunities before the end of the first half as well.
The Swiss champions had their moments.
But Ramires was everywhere for Chelsea, making interceptions, crunching into tackles, driving forward.
Basel scored twice in each leg against Spurs in the last round, showing plenty of pace, flair and invention. But they rarely threatened in the opening stages here.
Maybe nerves played a part. Basel had never reached a European final and everyone here was billing this as the biggest match in their history.
Chelsea survived a major scare at the start of the second half though as the home side came out with all guns blazing.
Valentin Stocker - the star of their games against Tottenham - cut inside makeshift midfielder Luiz and hit a shot which left Cech rooted to the spot as it hit the post.
But then it was Chelsea's turn to hit the woodwork. Hazard wriggled free on the left with a lovely piece of skill and cut the ball back into the danger zone.
Torres had time to take aim, and has been on fire at times in this competition - but his shot cannoned off the inside of the post and away to safety, Basel looked a different side in the second half, but Ivanovic was on hand to clear when it looked like their towering striker Marco Streller might break through.
Streller had another chance soon afterwards when Cech uncharacteristically flapped at a corner, but he could not quite direct his far-post header on target.
But as Chelsea tired Cesar Azpilicueta was penalised harshly for a challenge on Stocker and Schar rammed home the penalty.
It looked like the Swiss had salvaged a draw, but four minutes into injury time up stepped Luiz to sink them.