Liverpool set up a rematch of the 2022 League Cup Final against Chelsea by defeating Fulham on aggregate on Wednesday. The Reds entered the second leg of the semifinal with a 2-1 advantage. A comeback victory at Anfield two weeks ago meant a draw would be enough to see Jürgen Klopp’s side into the League Cup Final.
Luis Diaz scored the opening goal after some dismal defending from the Cottagers. That goal, which came just after 10 minutes, took much of the life out of the London side. Marco Silva’s side waited over an hour to find an equalizer on the night. Issa Diop sparked new life for Fulham. However, it was not enough for Marco Silva’s side.
Liverpool will now travel to Wembley Stadium on Feb. 24 to play Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea. Coverage details of that game will be available as the date nears.
Liverpool takes a step closer to League Cup Final in first half
With Mohammed Salah absent on international duty and injury, Jürgen Klopp looked at his depth of attackers to provide the goals. In true Liverpool fashion, it would not sit back and protect the lead it earned at Anfield. Instead, it was Luis Diaz to secure the game’s first goal at the 11-minute mark. A cross-field ball from center-back Jarell Amorin Quansah crept over the head of Fulham right-back Timothy Castagne. Luis Diaz beat Castagne to the ball to get through on goal. With Fulham defenders closing, the Colombian fired a shot that took a pair of deflections before squeaking by Bernd Leno. In fairness, Leno should be doing better to save the ball, but Liverpool will not complain.
The first half and the beginning of the second half lacked chances after that goal. Even though the statistics for both were fairly equal, Liverpool looked dominant in its efforts. Fulham lacked any kind of spark.
Late gasp from Fulham
The energy in the stadium drastically changed with a quarter-of-an-hour to play in the 90 minutes. Issa Diop got the final touch on a drive pass across the face of Liverpool’s goal following strong work from second-half substitute Harry Wilson. Fulham finally pressed actively to draw level on aggregate, but the Liverpool defense was resolute enough to prevent overly dangerous chances.
While Fulham did manage to get shots away, the best of those was a relatively safe save for Caoimhin Kelleher in the net. A long-range shot from Harry Wilson bounced just before Kelleher, who had to parry the ball away for a corner. Liverpool did well to hold possession in the Fulham half to not get trapped in its own area. That was enough to ensure a draw on the night and a win on aggregate.
Ironically, Liverpool’s next game is against Chelsea in Premier League play. The two opened the season with a draw in Mauricio Pochettino’s first competitive game as the Chelsea boss. Since then, the two sides have shown contrasting forms. Liverpool rose to the top of the Premier League, while Chelsea’s inconsistency remains one of the boggling points of the season.
