The Brazilian centre-back gave away a penalty with a bizarre handball six minutes into extra time, but he made amends by heading a dramatic equaliser with six minutes left to play to send PSG through on away goals, with the tie ending 3-3 on aggregate.
The visitors had been facing an uphill task when star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was controversially sent off shortly after the half-hour mark, but they got off lightly when a foul on Diego Costa in the box went unpunished.
Edinson Cavani then hit the post for PSG before Gary Cahill looked to have settled an ill-tempered tie with an 81st-minute drive, though former Chelsea man David Luiz forced an additional 30 minutes with a bullet header five minutes later.
PSG had the momentum heading into extra time, but they were undone when Silva attempted to palm the ball clear in the box having mistimed his jump, giving Eden Hazard the chance to fire the hosts in front from the spot.
The Belgian made no mistake as he coolly converted, but Silva had the last word – looping a header over Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to stun Stamford Bridge into silence.
His looping header from a corner turned the match on its head, seeing PSG into the quarter-finals at the end of a frantic game and reversing the outcome of last year's last-eight meeting between the pair, when Chelsea progressed on away goals after a 3-3 draw over two legs.
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