Benitez hails great day for Liverpool

Rafael Benitez hailed a great day for Liverpool while Jose Mourinho opted to look ahead to better things after Liverpool's 2-1 win on Saturday put them in the FA Cup final and foiled Chelsea's double bid.

"It was fantastic for me as a manager, for the staff, for the players, the supporters, the club, it was really a very, very good day for us," Benitez said after the semi-final at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Liverpool will be looking for their seventh FA Cup victory in the May 13 final against West Ham United.

Benitez praised his team, 2-0 up with goals from John Arne Riise and Luis Garcia before the hour, for hanging on under intense Chelsea pressure after Didier Drogba pulled one back.

"It was difficult to play against one of the best teams and to win this game was amazing," Benitez told Sky Sports News.

"For 60 minutes we were controlling everything and then, when we conceded the goal, we were under pressure," said the Spaniard, whose team have now eliminated Chelsea in successive semi-finals after their Champions League win last season.

Mourinho said he would gain nothing by complaining about certain refereeing decisions and would look forward instead to a virtually certain second successive Premier League title.

"It was a very, very ordinary, normal challenge in the air," he said of a headed goal by John Terry early in the second half which was disallowed for a foul by Chelsea's captain on Riise.

"That's why I keep saying we couldn't miss two big chances like we did but the two crucial decisions of the game, both against us, make it more difficult," he told Sky Sports.

Drogba missed a good chance in the first half and Joe Cole should have scored an injury-time equaliser that would have taken the match into extra time. The other decision Mourinho criticised was the free-kick that led to Riise's opening goal.

"I know you are waiting for me to break everything and smash it with some comments. If I do it, it's a nightmare... I know I can't do it because in this country I'm a great target," Mourinho told Sky Sports.

"It's two weeks to finish, two weeks for the holidays, one point to celebrate the championship, I just have to look for that positive side and forget the rest."

Chelsea can retain their league title with a draw at home to Manchester United next Saturday.