FA Cup holders Chelsea moved into the finals after three second half goals broke Aston Villa's brave resistance. Chelsea not only beat the Midlanders but also the Wembley pitch which had been re-laid for the tenth time but still was not up to the required standard.
Both sides reached half-time scoreless with Villa happy to soak up the Chelsea pressure.
Villa boss Martin O'Neill will also believe his side should have had a first-half penalty when Jon Mikel Obi clumsily felled Gabriel Agbonlahor inside the area.
But it was Didier Drogba who broke the deadlock midway through the second half.
Two late goals by Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard gave the scoreline a more emphatic look than was actually the case.
