Poyet sends Chelsea to the Cup final

Poyet's two goals keep boss Gianluca Vialli's multi-national heroes still fighting on three fronts for glory this season. The powerful Uruguayan, left out of Chelsea's Champions League spectacular against Barcelona on Wednesday and one of five changes at Wembley in Vialli's ever-rolling rotation system, chipped a sparkling 16th minute opener.

Then, after the rare but splendidly deserved event of a Rob Lee equaliser midway through the second half, notched the winner with a towering header. It was the Uruguay star's 15th goal of the campaign and just enough to edge Chelsea home in a genuine thriller.

But you had to feel for Bobby Robson's battling Magpies and their marvellous fans. They tried all they could to give themselves another crack at Cup Final glory next month after dismal defeats by Double-winning Arsenal and Manchester United in the last two years. And for long spells, their belligerent, lung-bursting style was more than a match for Chelsea's more sophisticated technique.

Alan Shearer, to whom Wembley has been such a citadel in an England shirt but without reward now in six appearances for his club, was left with that sinking feeling again - but how he battled to try to turn it around. It was his magnificent cross which gave Lee, the man humiliated by former Newcastle boss Ruud Gullit - who would not even award him a squad number at the start of the season - the chance to score his first goal nearly two years and tie up the match with 24 minutes to go.

And if Poyet's equally memorable winner - just six minutes later - had not arrived so soon afterwards it was perfectly possible to envisage Robson's resurgent side sweeping home.

Right to the death they kept coming and in stoppage time, Chelsea's wonderful goalkeeper Ed de Goey had to stretch out a leg to deny Kieron Dyer's low drive. But in the end it was yet another Blue Day for both these sides who produced a vibrant contest, containing bags of combative muscle as well as skill yet only one booking, for Didier Deschamps, to shame last week's turgid semi-final between Aston Villa and Bolton.

On this evidence, Chelsea will be firm favourites to turn over John Gregory's Midlands side back at Wembley next month, but the neutrals in the 73,876 crowd would not have minded the Magpies having the chance instead. Typical semi-final nerves surfaced in the opening minutes with Deschamps giving the ball away for Speed to test de Goey's solidarity from 25 yards and then Lee being caught in possession deep in his own half by George Weah.

The Liberian burst through on a return ball from Chris Sutton and when he slipped the ball through Given's legs Newcastle were relieved to see an offside flag raised.
But although Newcastle then took a grip and Nolberto Solano had to be denied by desperate tackles as he twice cut menacingly into the Chelsea box, Vialli's men collected themselves again to make the breakthrough 10 minutes later.

Street-wise skipper Dennis Wise's quick free-kick, after Shearer fouled him, found Poyet who laid off smartly to Weah and continued his run into the box where he superbly clipped the return ball over Shay Given's head and into the top corner.

It was a stunning blow for Newcastle who had produced more early energy than in the entirety of their two previous humiliating Wembley visits. And although they lost one half of their fearsome aerial force when the much-injured Duncan Ferguson again had to call it a day - this time with seven minutes of the first half still to go - they kept winning the midfield possession and plugging their direct route towards the indefatigable Shearer.

Sutton, who with Weah dropped back dutifully to help repel the missiles that were being launched into Chelsea's box, splendidly robbed Shearer, his old Blackburn team-mate, when the England captain looked as if he was about to score. And Frank Leboeuf made a marvellous intervention when Solano again skipped past Jon Harley down Chelsea's left.

But it was the nippy little Peruvian who wasted a golden equalising chance in the 42nd minute after Shearer, with his chest, again executed the perfect set-up from substitute Didier Domi's long ball in. With time and space to spare Solano half-volleyed wildly over the bar from 14 yards.

But Newcastle had found enough encouragement to pick up the pace again at the start of the second half when de Goey performed wonders keeping out a thundering half-volley from the industrious Dyer after Shearer got his head to Warren Barton's cross. Then the Dutch keeper plunged fearlessly at the feet Nikos Dabizas when the Greek centre-back tried to score at the second attempt even though it was later confirmed that Gary Speed's initial through ball had found him marginally offside.

But even de Goey was powerless to prevent Lee's magic moment in the 66th minute, with Shearer again the architect. The England captain turned himself into a winger, skipping past Leboeuf from Barton's pass down the right and putting over a magnificent cross for Lee, arriving late, to bullet home with a thrust of his neck muscles, his first goal since May 1998 - against Chelsea.

Vialli had taken off Ј10million Sutton at half-time and replaced him with Tore Andre Flo, the midweek two-goal hero against Barcelona, but the Norwegian was not in position to stop Lee's thunderbolt.

But parity lasted just six minutes before Poyet completed his double with a header just as impressive, looping it beyond Given's despairing reach after Harley, given space by Weah's inviting knock-back, chipped the ball into the area.

And Chelsea had enough experience and guile not to let a precious advantage slip for a second time.