Inter advance at expense of Chelsea

Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho got his revenge on Chelsea as a late goal from Samuel Eto'o sealed a 1-0 last 16 second leg victory at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday for a 3-1 aggregate victory.

The Italians, who had fallen at the first knockout stage for the last three seasons, took the initiative from the start and Chelsea were never able to get control of the game.

Inter had missed the three best chances of the match before Wesley Sneijder sent Eto'o free and the Cameroon striker scored with aplomb as Inter fly the flag for Serie A as the only Italian team into the last eight.

Chelsea, who had reached the semi-finals in five of the last six years and last lost a home Champions League game four years ago, were desperately short of invention and barely troubled goalkeeper Julio Cesar as Mourinho enjoyed another night to remember at Stamford Bridge.

Inter opted against trying to sit back and defend their first-leg lead and produced an energetic display in a first half that featured more appealing, complaining and theatrical over-reacting - from both sides - than constructive football.

Mourinho's tactic to start with three strikers - Eto'o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev - seemed to catch Chelsea out and it took the Londoners a long time to get a hold on the game.

However, solid Inter defending, with centre backs Lucio and Walter Samuel in dominant form, and a sharp block by Cesar to keep out an Nicolas Anelka flick ensured it was goalless at half-time.

Inter actually had the best chance of the half when Eto'o, seemingly surprised that a deep cross reached him after another mis-timed John Terry leap, sent a stooping header wide from five metres out after 34 minutes.

Inter began to pile on the pressure midway through the second half and a clever backheel by Sneijder sent Pandev through but a terrific covering tackle by Yuri Zhirkov saved the day.

Four minutes later Milito sprung the offside trap but shot wide with just stand-in keeper Ross Turnbull to beat while Thiago Motta headed over the bar from a free kick.

Chelsea were showing nothing at the other end and it was no real surprise when the impressive Sneijder looped a ball over the home defence and Eto'o, who had not scored in eight games since returning from the African Nations Cup, advanced on Turnbull and drove the ball confidently past him.

Turnbull did well to deny Eto'o again in injury time but by then it was all over for Chelsea, who had been reduced to 10 men by a late red card for Didier Drogba after a clash with Motta.