• Aston Villa defender says players need medals to be fulfilled
• Carling Cup semi-final against Blackburn ‘biggest of career’

Richard Dunne believes winning the Carling Cup with Aston Villa this year would help to compensate for the Republic of Ireland’s controversial World Cup play-off defeat against France and also provide him with a sense of fulfilment in a career that has so far delivered riches but no silverware.

The central defender has made close to 450 appearances for Manchester City, Everton and now Villa, but tonight will be the first time he has played in a semi-final, prompting him to describe the first leg against Blackburn Rovers as “the biggest club game of my career”. Dunne believes that the tie offers an opportunity to move a step closer to winning the trophy that he claims would bring him greater long-term satisfaction than any financial rewards.

“Every footballer in the Premier League will more or less finish his career having enough money and be financially happy and pleased but whether they’re fulfilled career-wise is different,” said Dunne, who was an apprentice at Goodison Park when Everton beat Manchester United in the 1995 FA Cup final. “For players to feel fulfilled, you have to have actual silverware to look back on. That’s where your memories are. You keep your medals for ever.”

Dunne admitted that success with Villa this season would also help to ease the pain of that raucous night in Paris in November when France triumphed after Thierry Henry’s handball went unpunished. “If I can finish the season and we’ve done well in the league and manage to win a trophy, I think I could say it’s been successful. The World Cup will be one disappointment in it but anyone who finishes this season with a trophy has to be happy.”

The 30-year-old has, however, urged his team-mates “not to get sidetracked by looking too far ahead”. He claimed that he has not given a second’s thought to the prospect of facing his former club, City, in the final. “My focus is on Aston Villa and beating whoever we come up against. Whether that’s Manchester City or Manchester United, it’s not important.”

Dunne sat out the FA Cup victory over Blackburn on Saturday, when Martin O’Neill rested several first-team players, but he will return to what the manager hopes will be a full-strength Villa side tonight. O’Neill’s only concern surrounds the availability of James Milner, who is suffering from a bruised foot.

Aston VillaCarling CupBlackburn RoversStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk

Gaël Kakuta saw his last penalty of the shoot-out saved as Chelsea crashed out of the Carling Cup on a crazy night in east Lancashire. The 18-year-old reason for Chelsea’s deferred transfer window ban probably should not even have been taking a penalty, let alone the fifth, which Paul Robinson beat out, but Carlo Ancelotti got every other aspect of his tactics wrong and was responsible for his side playing for well over 40 minutes with 10 men.

There seemed only one likely winner once Didier Drogba came on at half-time and two goals in four minutes wiped out a first-half deficit, but in using all three substitutes at once Ancelotti left himself unprepared to deal with a Blackburn fightback and, perhaps more importantly, with an injury to Salomon Kalou that saw Chelsea play out the last 15 minutes of normal time and everything that followed with 10 men.

Chelsea were hardly in the best shape for extra-time, in fact they did well to reach that stage with Blackburn piling on the pressure in the closing minutes of normal time. Nikola Kalinic and David Hoilett both went close and what looked like a winner from Benni McCarthy in stoppage time was ruled out for the narrowest of offsides. Ten of the men that crushed Arsenal might have seen off Blackburn, but the 10 Chelsea ended up with here included the raw and inexperienced Kakuta and an unfamiliar defensive line.

Weary and weakened, Chelsea lasted barely a minute of extra-time before going behind to a penalty. Hoilett was adjudged to have been tripped by Yuri Zhirkov in a pile-up of players and McCarthy scored confidently from the spot. Blackburn looked unlikely to let a lead slip a second time but 27 minutes later Paulo Ferreira slammed in an equaliser from a narrow angle with virtually the last kick of open play to take it to penalties.

Michael Ballack fluffed Chelsea’s first and when Kalinic missed Rovers’ fourth the scores were level at 4-4, but Hoilett scored a fifth and Robinson’s save from Kakuta earned his side a semi-final against Aston Villa. If the recovering Sam Allardyce was watching this he shouldn’t have been.

The visiting back line was something to behold, with Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic in central defence protecting Henrique Hilário in goal. No sooner had Blackburn survived the first couple of skirmishes than they began making inroads of their own.

Kalinic put Rovers ahead in the ninth minute. Pascal Chimbonda carried the ball towards the Chelsea area and though he appeared in danger of straying offside in accepting a return pass from Morten Gamst Pedersen the flag stayed down and it was a simple matter for the Croatian to tap in a ball squared low across the face of goal.

The home crowd’s worst fears were confirmed when Drogba appeared for the second half, although the fact that Ancelotti made his other two substitutions at the same time suggested he may not have been taking the game all that seriously. Not that Chelsea’s substitutes in any way disappointed. It took Drogba a mere three minutes to put Chelsea back on terms with a firm header from Florent Malouda’s cross, and four minutes after that the visitors were in front, Ballack’s crossfield ball catching the Rovers defence too far upfield and Kalou keeping his nerve to beat Robinson with a cool finish.

But Rovers forced their way back into the game through a mistake. Kalinic hardly got a touch on Brett Emerton’s cross but his leap distracted Hilário sufficiently and the ball bounced past him. Emerton got the credit. From then on until Kakuta’s final act, the night just became crazier.

Carling CupBlackburn RoversChelseaPaul Wilsonguardian.co.uk