( CNN ) -- Chelsea have one foot in the Champions League semifinals after fighting back from going a goal down at Anfield to beat Premier League rivals Liverpool 3-1 in their quarterfinal first leg on Wednesday . Chelsea players celebrate Branislav Ivanovic 's equalizer on their way to a stunning win at Anfield . The London side knocked Liverpool out of the competition at the last four stage last year and they look set to repeat that feat this season , despite going behind to an early goal from Fernando Torres . With just five minutes on the clock , Dirk Kuyt fed Alvaro Arbeloa with a clever back-heel and when the full-back delivered his low cross an unmarked Torres applied the perfect finish . Didier Drogba squandered a gilt-edged chance to equalize seconds later . Fellow-Ivorian Salomon Kalou slipped the ball into his path but Drogba 's shot was kept out by goalkeeper Pepe Reina . Drogba wasted another clear chance to level in the 28th minute after Michael Ballack 's low cross had allowed the striker to shake off Jamie Carragher -- but he blazed the ball high over the bar from just eight yards out . Chelsea continued to press forward and their effort paid off in the 38th minute when Branislav Ivanovic equalized with an unmarked header from Florent Malouda 's corner . The second half saw much of the same with Liverpool on the back-foot as Chelsea pressed forward and they nearly added a second in the 51st minute when Frank Lampard 's pass put Drogba clear again . This time the striker 's shot beat Reina but Carragher managed to scamper back to clear the goal-bound effort for a corner . Liverpool briefly threatened when Torres fired over the bar from an acute angle and Chelsea suffered a blow when captain John Terry received a yellow card for a late challenge on Reina , meaning he will be suspended for the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week . However , Guus Hiddink 's side may not now need their inspirational leader after two goals in six second-half minutes stunned the home supporters . In the 61st minute , the Liverpool defense again went missing to allow Ivanovic to socre a carbon-copy header , this time from Lampard 's corner . Then in the 67th minute , a quick break from Malouda saw his superb low left-wing cross turned home by Drogba from close-range . From then on , Chelsea were in cruise control and a dispirited Liverpool could have fallen further behind had Malouda and Salomon Kalou converted last chances for the visitors . With Barcelona thrashing Bayern Munich 4-0 in Wednesday 's other match , a Chelsea v Barcelona semifinal looks assured unless Liverpool manage an unlikely win next week . Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez acknowledged it will be `` very difficult '' for his team to overturn the deficit at Stamford Bridge . He told Sky Sports : `` Clearly it will be very difficult -- but anything can happen . We have to play well and score three goals and have a very good game against a very good team . '' The Spaniard continued : `` I felt we started really well but after the goal we did n't pass the ball properly . We were giving the ball away , and they were passing it well . ''
Chelsea fight back to beat Liverpool 3-1 in their Champions League quarterfinal . Branislav Ivanovic ( 2 ) and Didier Drogba give the London side a vital advantage . TL;DR Real Madrid defeats Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate after extra time at Camp Nou.