Hilario granted Chelsea chance

Hilario came off the bench for Cudicini in the victory over Fenerbahce at Stamford Bridge and, despite looking shaky with the ball at his feet, pulled off saves from Gokhan Gonul and Colin Kazim-Richards to keep Chelsea ahead.

"It is very important for a third goalkeeper to do a good job when you need him, and we have needed him this year," said Chelsea boss Grant. "It's not easy when you lose your goalkeeper. Hilario was good."

Grant is waiting on an update on Cudicini, who joins Petr Cech on the sidelines following the first-choice goalkeeper's facial injury.

For the game against Wigan next Monday, it could be Hilario in goal and 18-year-old Rhys Taylor on the bench.

"The news is that is doesn't look so good for the moment with Carlo but we need to wait and see," said Grant. "This year I am more a doctor than a manager, I need to answer every week about injuries.

"We have Hilario and have the goalkeeper from the youth team. He is a good goalkeeper."

Trailing 2-1 to Fenerbahce from the first leg in Istanbul, Michael Ballack levelled the quarter-final with a fourth-minute header from Frank Lampard's free-kick.

It meant Chelsea were ahead on away goals but the Turkish champions remained a threat and it took Lampard's close-range strike three minutes from full-time to set up another semi-final with Liverpool.

Chelsea and Liverpool will now meet three times in four seasons at this stage of the competition, and Rafael Benitez's side have emerged victorious on both occasions so far.