Liverpool’s 3-2 aggregate victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage sent them to the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Luis Diaz’s deflected goal gave Liverpool a one-goal lead over Fulham early in the match, and they appeared to be enjoying a pleasant evening until Issa Diop ensured a tight finish late in the contest. Liverpool had led by one goal going into the second leg at Craven Cottage.
But Liverpool hung on for a well-earned triumph on aggregate, with no further alarms. This means that Chelsea and Jurgen Klopp’s club will play one other in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley next month, a rematch of their 2022 final.
Fulham did all they could to create an atmosphere, black and white flags waving from all four sides of Craven Cottage long before kick-off as they targeted a first domestic cup final since 1975. But it was Liverpool who started stronger, extending their lead.
Diaz won an aerial challenge with Timothy Castagne on the left before firing off a shot that caught a slight deflection but still should have been stopped by Bernd Leno in the Fulham goal. Instead, the German could only push the ball into the corner of the net.
Marco Silva’s team struggled to settle and there were more chances for Liverpool before they did. Leno struck Cody Gakpo with the ball, causing it to loop over the bar. Darwin Nunez struck the post, and then Diaz got the ball in the net. Every time, the offside flag was raised.
Later in the half, Fulham showed improvement when Raul Jimenez went down in the area and forced Caoimhin Kelleher to save, only to have the penalty appeals waved away. Willian was occupied, and Antonee Robinson gave Conor Bradley some trouble during the overlap.
The reward almost came early in the second half but Andreas Pereira could not seize the chance, striking the post with the goal gaping after Kelleher had failed to claim the initial cross. Liverpool almost scored on the subsequent break with the game opening up.
Nunez twice went close to ending any hope of a Fulham comeback and Liverpool had cause to regret those misses when Diop turned the ball home from close range after superb work by Harry Wilson on the left. The mood changed, the home crowd roaring them on.
Fulham did fall short as the Reds held on to leave the away supporters in a joyous mood for their trip back to the north.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said after the game: “It is fantastic. We had the experience before, we know what to expect. Again Chelsea wow what a story that is,”
“You should never take for granted if you are part of the team who can qualify for trophies.”
“This was the full cup experience. Open game, second half they started a bit wilder. We don’t score. They got the equaliser. But the boys did really well and I am really happy.”
“The only thing that counts in the end is that we are through. The very young ones have been incredible, so happy to see their reaction in the dressing room.”
“They are all exceptional and they all worked extremely hard. This was not the night to shine, this was the night to qualify for a final. You heard from Marco Silva how much reaching a final would mean for Fulham, we had to prove and we did.”
“Everything great about the Carabao Cup final. Around that we have to be focused on all the other competitions as well and that is what we will do.”
“It is so perfect. Wembley is a special place and I am really happy for everyone involved they can have that experience.”
Whereas his counterpart Marco Silva went on to say: “It was a difficult match like we expected really,”
“They were leading 2-1 so of course we need to score to go through to play the final. Performance-wise, overall, the game wasn’t our best performance but I prefer to start with the desire and the attitude from the players.”
“They gave everything from the first to the last minute. To keep the semi-final open to the last minute shows the attitude and the commitment.”
It was an emotional occasion for Fulham and that showed. “Probably too emotional, more nervous than Liverpool,” added Silva. “We couldn’t keep possession like we normally do. We lost many balls when building and on the counter-attack.”
“They score and it makes it a more difficult scenario for us. The second half, they start better than us but we start to grow into the game and we need a goal to lift the crowd. After we score, the game becomes even more emotional.”
“The players gave everything but it was not enough. We were not ruthless enough and Liverpool are in the final.”
Fulham have their FA Cup fourth round tie against Newcastle on January 27 before hosting Everton on January 30 in the Premier League.
Liverpool host Norwich in the FA Cup before Chelsea head to Anfield in the Premier League on January 31.
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