Champions League: Chelsea 4 Napoli 1

Branislav Ivanovic scored a winner in extra time as Chelsea beat Napoli 4-1 and progressed to the last eight of the Champions League.

Goals from the old guard of Didier Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard had given Chelsea a 3-1 win in regulation time at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, leaving the tie poised at 4-4 on aggregate after their disastrous first leg in Naples.

With the home crowd fired up it was Ivanovic who stepped up to score the winner 15 minutes into extra time, sweeping home a low cross from Drogba to send Roberto Di Matteo’s side into the quarter-finals.

The first chance of the match fell to Sturridge as he volleyed goalwards at an angle in the penalty area, but Morgan De Sanctis palmed it behind for a corner.

It did not take long for Napoli to show their attacking ability, however. Gokhan Inler played the ball into Ezequiel Lavezzi on the edge of the penalty area and after swivelling, he let rip, but Petr Cech made the save, if a little awkwardly.

The visitors were continuing to look extremely imperious in attack. This time it was Cavani who went close, getting on the end of Maggio’s low cross at the back-post, but much to the relief of the Chelsea fans the Uruguayan could only find the side netting, and Chelsea eventually made him pay.

After 27 anonymous minutes, Drogba gave the home team the lead. Ramires took up possession on the left wing and delivered an excellent ball towards the near-post for Drogba to throw himself at and nod down past De Sanctis.

And it did not take long for the hosts to level the aggregate score after halftime. Napoli sloppily gave away a corner, and Terry rose highest to head the ball out of De Sanctis’ reach and double Chelsea’s lead on the night.

Chelsea’s two goal lead did not last long, though. With 54 minutes gone, Terry headed substitute Dossena’s cross out to the edge of the area, but only as far as Inler, who chested the ball under control and smashed a half-volley into Cech’s bottom right corner to put Napoli ahead 4-3 on aggregate.

The match took another turn when Dossena clearly handled the ball in the Chelsea area with 15 minutes remaining.

Lampard coolly converted the penalty to level the aggregate scores, and the deadlock remained until the final whistle to send the tie into extra time.

Following a few chances for Ivanovic and Torres in the opening half of extra-time, Chelsea got the goal to send themselves through just before halftime as the Serbian defender slammed a shot into the roof of the net after excellent work on the right from Drogba.

The second-half of extra-time was very nervy for the hosts, but after Drogba missed a golden opportunity in the dying moments, Chelsea held on despite pressure from their visitors and progressed to the next round.