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Joe Cole lashed home a second-half winner as Chelsea saw off Everton to book their place in the Carling Cup final.

The holders, already leading 2-1 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge, broke the deadlock in the 69th minute with a rare moment of quality in an otherwise disappointing clash at Goodison Park.

Florent Malouda's stunning cross-field pass from just inside the Everton half cut out Joleon Lescott and Nuno Valente, before Cole controlled with his first touch and fired beyond Tim Howard.

The home side rarely looked likely to break down a resilient Chelsea defence, and their best spell came in the 10 minutes before the visitors struck, with Petr Cech denying Phil Neville and Phil Jagielka.

Nicolas Anelka rattled the Everton bar at the start of the second period as his search for his first Chelsea goal goes on, and it was left to Cole to set up a Wembley meeting with London rivals Tottenham next month.

Rocking

Goodison Park was rocking as Everton sought to reach their first final in 13 years, but the stadium was not full, Chelsea having sent back 2,000 tickets.

It was the Londoners who had the first two chances, Alex firing a free-kick into the wall and Shaun Wright-Phillips seeing a 15-yarder deflected wide.

But after nine minutes it needed a fine Cech save to his left to keep out a Lescott header from Mikel Arteta's corner, Everton getting themselves into the game in areas that mattered.

Lee Carsley was booked for a high tackle on Wright-Phillips, with Chelsea beginning to ask questions up front and in midfield.

Anelka, not cup-tied despite only being signed from Bolton between the two legs of this semi-final, tested Howard with a low drive after 28 minutes.

Opportunity

And Malouda skied a good opportunity over the bar from 12 yards after fine work by Juliano Belletti on the right after 34 minutes.

Everton had struggled for clear chances, but Arteta's clever pass gave Johnson the opening for a right-footer, which deflected just wide off Alex.

Chelsea almost stunned Everton within a minute of the second-half starting when Anelka found space in the box for a shot that hit the bar.

Wright-Phillips fired wide from outside the box and then was denied by Lescott's boot in the box, Chelsea intent on grabbing the goal that would virtually kill off the tie.

Everton needed to raise their game to unsettle Chelsea, and slowly they started to achieve that. Neville saw a fierce effort blocked by Cech before Jagielka's close-range back-heel was turned away by the Chelsea keeper.

Clinical

But as Everton pressed, Chelsea struck from deep after 69 minutes. Malouda's long ball from the left found Cole, and his clinical right-foot finish saw Chelsea ahead on the night.

Before the re-start Everton sent on Victor Anichebe up front, sacrificing Carsley, but by now the damage had been done.

Manuel Fernandes was booked for dissent, and then Juliano Belletti for a foul, tempers becoming frayed with Everton more frustrated by the minute.

Moyes then sent on James Vaughan for Fernandes, one last desperate throw of the dice.

Nuno Valente, Tim Cahill and Neville were soon in referee Steve Bennett's book, the bitter disappointment of a lost Wembley dream so evident now.

After 82 minutes Claudio Pizarro came on for goalscorer Cole, with Chelsea content to run down the clock and take their spot at Wembley, although they threatened to add a second on the break as Everton pressed in vain.

Teams

Everton  Howard, Neville, Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Valente, Osman, Cahill, Carsley (Anichebe 70), Arteta, Fernandes (Vaughn 78), Johnson
Subs Not Used Wessels, Hibbert, Stubbs
Booked Carsley, Fernandes, Valente, Neville
Goals

Chelsea  Cech, Alex, Belletti, Bridge, Carvalho, Makelele, Malouda (A. Cole 90), Sidwell, J. Cole (Pizarro 82), Wright-Phillips, Anelka (Ben-Haim 90)
Subs Not Used  Cudicini, Ferreira
Booked  Makelele, Belletti
Goals  J. Cole 69

Attendance 37,086

Referee S. Bennett