Andriy Shevchenko and Frank Lampard each scored twice and Chelsea routed Wycombe 4-0 for a place in the final of the English League Cup on Tuesday.
Shevchenko hadn't scored in his 10 previous appearances for Chelsea, and had reportedly fallen out with manager Jose Mourinho, partly because of his friendship with owner Roman Abramovich. Mourinho was also said to be on poor terms with Abramovich.
The Ukraine striker scored in the 22nd and 43rd minutes in the second leg of the semi-final at Stamford Bridge, following a 1-1 draw at League Two club Wycombe. He also set up Lampard in the 69th, and the England midfielder scored his second goal in the 90th.
PHOTO: AP
When he was replaced near fulltime, Shevchenko shook hands with Mourinho, who was impressed by the player's performance.
"I demand commitment, effort, being aggressive, working and playing for the team, working with the ball, working without the ball -- that's what I demand," Mourinho said.
"He did that, scored two goals, created some more. He was alive all the time while on the pitch. I think it's a step forward in the direction of how we want him to play and perform on the pitch," Mourinho said.
Chelsea will face the winner of the Tottenham-Arsenal semi-final. The final is on Feb. 25 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
In the Premier League, substitute Jay DeMerit scored the winner for bottom club Watford in a 2-1 victory over Blackburn.
Luton advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in a third-round replay.
Shevchenko's first goal came when he intercepted a pass from Wycombe's Tommy Doherty and ran through to score past goalkeeper Ricardo Batista. He then volleyed in a goal from a cross from Didier Drogba for his eighth of the season.
Lampard took a Shevchenko cross to score his first, then netted in injury time after taking a pass from Drogba.
Shevchenko was taken off in the 85th minute for Salomon Kalou. Shevchenko last started for Chelsea in its 6-1 third-round FA Cup win over Macclesfield, but has rarely completed 90 minutes since joining the club this season.
"I'm very happy to reach the final," Shevchenko said. "It's important the team plays very, very well. The support of this team and fans has been unbelievable."
Lampard said Shevchenko had been overly criticized.
"You've got to give the man a lot of credit for his dignity because he hasn't come out and spoken too much," Lampard said. "He's kept working hard, got his chance today, and does what he does best and scores goals."
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