After drawing 1-1 with Fulham in the second leg of the semi-final and winning 3-2 on aggregate, Liverpool will meet Chelsea in the League Cup final at Wembley on February 25.
Liverpool and Chelsea meet again in a final for the third time in the last three seasons. The two teams met in the FA Cup and League Cup finals in the 2021-2022 season, both drawing 0-0 and going to penalties, with Jurgen Klopp's team winning.
Forward Luis Diaz celebrates scoring Liverpool's opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Fulham in the second leg of the English League Cup semi-final at Craven Cottage, London on January 24. Photo: AP
Ahead of the title clash at Wembley in February, Liverpool and Chelsea will meet at Anfield in the Premier League on January 31. The two teams are on a run of five consecutive draws in the Premier League. In the first leg at Stamford Bridge in August 2023, Liverpool and Chelsea both had a goal ruled out for offside by VAR and the tie ended 1-1.
Traveling to Craven Cottage on the evening of January 24 with a 2-1 advantage in the first leg, Klopp rotated when letting Caoimhin Kelleher start instead of Alisson Becker and giving the opportunity to two 20-year-old players Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley. Up front, the German coach used the best frame with Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Díaz, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, in the absence of Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah. Liverpool made 191 changes to the starting lineup in all competitions this season, 56 more than any other club in the Premier League.
Liverpool started the game with a bang and took the lead right from the first notable attack. In the 11th minute, receiving a long pass from Quansah, Luis Diaz controlled the ball with his chest, entered the penalty area and shot to the near corner, hitting midfielder Joao Palhinha's foot. Goalkeeper Bernd Leno also got a hand to the ball but could not save it.
Forward Luis Diaz (No. 7) celebrates after scoring the opening goal for Liverpool in the second leg of the English League Cup semi-final draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage, London on January 24. Photo: AP
In the 28th minute, Nunez's close-range volley hit the post and Diaz's cross-angle shot into the home net. But the goal was disallowed because Nunez was offside. Fulham improved in the final 15 minutes of the first half but had only one notable shot - Raul Jimenez's shot from outside the box was not saved by Kelleher in the 32nd minute.
The two teams played an attacking game in the second half with a series of missed opportunities. In the 54th minute, Andreas Pereira's rebound hit the post, while Liverpool missed the chance to end the match early when Nunez had two close-range shots that were blocked by Leno and went wide of the post.
It was not until the 76th minute that Fulham equalized when Harry Wilson broke through on the left wing and crossed for Issa Diop to cut in and finish past Kelleher. The home team put on a lot of pressure for the rest of the time, but could not find another goal to send the match into extra time.
Fulham striker Willian dribbles during the 1-1 draw with Liverpool in the second leg of the English League Cup semi-final at Craven Cottage, London on January 24. Photo: AP
Winning 3-2 on aggregate, Liverpool reached their 14th League Cup final, four more than any other team. This was Liverpool's third League Cup final under Klopp, only bettered by Bob Paisley's four.
Liverpool also hit the 13-goal mark on their way to this season's League Cup final. They have won the last four times they have achieved this feat, with 16 in 1994-95, 20 in 2000-01, 13 in 2002-03 and 14 in 2011-12.
Line-up:
Fulham : Leno, Castagne (Tete 83), Tosin, Diop, Robinson, Andreas Pereira (Muniz 83), Palhinha, Cairney (Reed 83), Willian, De Cordova-Reid (Wilson 66), Jimenez.
Liverpool : Kelleher, Gomez, Van Dijk, Quansah, Bradley, Elliott, Mac Allister (Jones 67), Gravenberch (Clark 84), Nunez (Jota 67), Diaz, Gakpo (Konate 84).
Hong Duy
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