Mark Hughes completed an amazing Euro-night in sensational fashion to send Gianluca Vialli's Blues through to the Cup Winners' Cup Final.

The Welsh dragon, previously only a bit-part player in Chelsea's continental campaign, came off the bench with just 20 minutes left and the Premiership's last survivors staring into the abyss.

A goal down from the first leg, it looked all over when Pasquale Luiso took advantage of dreadful defending to grab his eighth of the competition after 32 minutes.

Although Gustavo Poyet pulled one back straightaway, and Gianfranco Zola produced a textbook header from Vialli's cross just after the restart, Stockholm on May 13 was looking a distant prospect.

But Hughes, perhaps above all the men in Vialli's squad, knows what courage is all about, and the man who had previously played just 50 minutes in Europe this season proved the saviour in incredible fashion to claim a final date with Germans Stuttgart.

There did not seem much on as Ed De Goey launched a long clearance down the left, Hughes allowing the ball to bounce before nodding past Giacomo Dicara.

Suddenly there was space, Hughes away and into the box, before cracking a superb left-footer that flashed past Pierluigi Brivio into the far corner.

It was similar in execution, although with the other foot, to the goal that had won the Cup for Manchester United against Barcelona in Rotterdam in 1991, wonderfully making the Blues England's 13th finalists in the history of the competition.

But a night of raw-knuckled tension could not finish without another final twist, Massimo Ambrosini sent off before De Goey got the slightest of touches to prevent Luiso converting substitute Arturo Di Napoli's cross.

Seconds later, the whistle went, both sides sinking to their knees, Chelsea then setting off on the most deserved of laps of honour, Vicenza broken.

A magnificent night, all the better considering the circumstances and the task the Blues overcame.

Already without the suspended Roberto Di Matteo, and dealt a hammerblow before the start when Dan Petrescu pulled out sick, the one thing Chelsea could not afford was to concede an away goal, but the warning signs were there from early on.

In only the sixth minute, the pacy Gabriele Ambrosetti exposed Steve Clarke down the Vicenza left before finding Marco Schenardi, with De Goey making a vital smothering stop.

Chelsea's response was led by Zola, desperate to impress a watching Italian public, with Dennis Wise on the left then crossing.

Vialli met it firmly, but straight at Brivio, who then saved smartly down at his near-post after Jody Morris, in for Petrescu, had fed Zola's left peg.

The teeming rain meant mistakes were a certainty, defenders always under pressure but Vicenza, so solid, so Italian, grew in confidence.

Ambrosetti's deflected freekick was clawed away by De Goey and when Morris jumped in to allow Schenardi to feed Massimo Ambrosini, the Dutchman was grateful that Frank Leboeuf was on hand to scramble away when he failed to hold.

But there was to be no salvation for De Goey when Vicenza grabbed what seemed the killer goal in the 32nd minute.

Chelsea first stood watching Michael Duberry's as weak clearance was moved on to Zauli by skipper Domenico Di Carlo.

Then, as Zauli eased past Eddie Newton, they were drawn to the striker like magnets to a needle, Clarke fatally hanging back.

It was all so simple, as Zauli simply put his foot under the ball and lofted it into the gaping hole Graeme Le Saux should have been defending.

Frantic appeals counted for nothing, and even though the ball ran away from Ambrosetti, Luiso made no mistake, placing the ball into the top corner.

Suddenly the task became mountainous, Chelsea needing three in less than an hour, although the first came almost instantly.

Vialli himself blasted down the left and his cross was only cleared as far as Zola, who in turn crashed towards goal.

Again Brivio elected to punch, but this time straight to Poyet, and even though the Uruguayan lost his footing, he still managed to slam into the net.

Renewed life, renewed belief, and soon afterwards Poyet, out for seven months with a cruciate injury before returning as a substitute against Spurs on Saturday and in for Di Matteo, saw a looping header turned over.

Luiso might have finished it off three times before the break, with Leboeuf making what was to prove the most important clearance of his Chelsea career on the interval, after the striker had prodded past De Goey.

Even so, it was asking a lot, surely too much, but not according to Vialli, sensing it was his duty to lift his men, and rising to the task.

Six minutes into the second half, it became possible again, as Vialli capitalised on a mistake by Ambrosini and hurtled down the right.

Again he looked up, spotting Zola stealing into space beyond marker Giacomo Dicara, and when Vialli delivered Zola obliged, thundering a header past Brivio for his 11th of the season.

Now it was on again, Vialli causing mayhem every time he received the ball, with another surging burst down the right seeing the ball reach Le Saux.

The England man scuffed his shot, but straight to Wise, 12 yards out, only for the skipper to shoot weakly at Brivio.

Chelsea had to keep pushing forward, leaving themselves open to the counter, and they should have been dead and buried just after the hour when Ambrosini met Zauli's freekick in front of goal only to miss the gaping target.

Edge of the seat stuff, at both ends, the home fans calling for a Zola special when substitute Lorenzo Stovini upended Poyet 23 yards out.

It did not materialise, the Sardinian hitting the wall, although Poyet so nearly sneaked in seconds later as Vicenza's earlier cool was a distant memory.

With 20 minutes to go, Vialli - or more accurately Graham Rix - made the double change that altered the game.

On came Hughes and Laurent Charvet, off went Morris and Newton, the Blues reverted to three at the back - and within six minutes, gloriously, Hughes had struck.

The Chelsea bench went as mad as the fans, but 14 minutes was an awfully long time to hold on with nerves jangling, fingernails bitten to the root.

Andy Myers replaced Zola as the clock ran down, Chelsea determined to hold onto what they had.

In the final minute, Ambrosini, booked earlier, received his marching orders from French referee Marc Batta for a dreadful foul on Vialli before De Goey's heroics at the death.

Not that the player-boss cared as he celebrated a night, he and the Bridge will never forget.

Teams

Chelsea: De Goey, Leboeuf, Clarke, Poyet, Vialli, Wise, Duberry, Le Saux, Newton (Charvet 70), Zola (Myers 81), Morris (M. Hughes 70).

Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Flo, P. Hughes, Nicholls.

Goals: Poyet 35, Zola 51, M. Hughes 76.

Vicenza: Brivio, Di Carlo (Di Napoli 81), Belotti, Schenardi (Otero 81), Mendez, Luiso, Viviani (Stovini 61), Zauli, Ambrosini, Dicara, Ambrosetti.

Subs Not Used: Firmani, Beghetto, Falcioni, Conte.

Sent Off: Ambrosini (88).

Booked: Luiso, Ambrosini.

Goals: Luiso 32.

Agg (3-2)

Att: 33,810

Ref: Marc Batta (France).