Frank Lampard, whose double helped Chelsea advance into the semi-finals of the Champions League, has been well rewarded for his efforts; he now heads the Top 23 list of best halfbacks in the world. The England international now has 197.89 points over all.

 In the dramatic 4:4 draw against Liverpool, Lampard earned a well-deserved 27.17 rating points; he first put Chelsea into the lead, before leveling the game with just a minute remaining.

This was a dramatic show of attacking football. The goalkeepers allowed some childish errors, and Pepe Reina and Petr Cech all concluded the game with losses of almost 10 rating points. Despite his less-than-flattering performance, Reina, with 118.47 points, still tops the list of best goalies of the English Premier League. Cech, meanwhile, ranks third on the same list, with 98.80 points.

Petr Cech opened the game with a miserable error, allowing Liverpool’s Fabio Aurelio to open the score with a perfect shot into a corner of the goal left unattended. Liverpool were soon 2 goals ahead through Xabi Alonso from the penalty box. Manager Guss Hiddink’s team went into the halftime break visibly stunned.

But they returned into the second half apparently fired up, with Didier Drogba slotting in a perfect cross from substitute Nicolas Anelka. Brazilian defender Alex and Frank Lampard added one each, and the game appeared pretty much in the bag for the Aristocrats.

But that was without counting with the tenacity of manager Rafael Benitez’s team. Liverpool retook the lead through Leiva Lucas and Dirk Kuyt, rekindling their hopes of a dramatic victory after all: they needed just one goal to make it into the semi-finals!

Liverpool’s hopes were finally dashed when Lampard scored a brilliant, if bizarre, goal with the ball ricocheting off both posts before finding the net. The 4:4 draw made sure Chelsea was in the semi-finals, while Liverpool are exiting the Champions League.