Fulham and Liverpool drew 1-1, but Liverpool managed to maintain their lead and secure a victory overall, allowing them to advance to the final of the League Cup.

Luis Diaz’s crucial goal secured Liverpool’s place in the 2024 Carabao Cup final with a 1-1 draw against Fulham in the second leg of their last-four clash at Craven Cottage. The Merseysiders, who held a 2-1 advantage from the first leg, managed to withstand a late push from Marco Silva’s side to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory.

Fulham had hoped to stage a memorable comeback and reach their first-ever Carabao Cup final. However, their dreams were dashed when Palhinha missed a golden opportunity in the eighth minute, volleying over the bar. Diaz capitalized on this costly miss just three minutes later, beating Timothy Castagne to a high pass and squeezing a deflected shot past Bernd Leno at his near post.

Fulham improved in the second half and came close to equalizing when Andreas Pereira hit the post from a tight angle. Issa Diop’s close-range finish in the 77th minute set up a nervy finale, but Liverpool held firm to secure their spot in the final.

Liverpool will now face Chelsea at Wembley on February 25th in their 14th League Cup final. Jurgen Klopp’s men will be aiming to lift the trophy for a record-extending 10th time. This will be a familiar encounter for Klopp, who has already tasted victory over Chelsea in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals in 2022.

This was a mature performance from Liverpool Reloaded, a young side that controlled the second leg for the majority of the match. Even when Fulham equalized, Klopp made tactical adjustments to ensure his team’s defense remained solid. Liverpool will now shift their focus to the FA Cup fourth round clash against Norwich City before facing Chelsea in the Premier League and Arsenal in a crucial week of fixtures.

Luis Diaz was the standout player of the match, causing numerous problems for Fulham with his driving runs. His goal in this game was his seventh of the season and came at a crucial moment in the tie.

Player Ratings:

FULHAM: Leno 6, Castagne 6, Robinson 7, Tosin 7, Diop 7, Palhinha 7, Cairney 7, De Cordova-Reid 6, Andreas 6, Willian 6, Raul 6. Subs: Wilson 7, Tete n/a, Muniz n/a, Reed n/a.

LIVERPOOL: Kelleher 6, Bradley 7, Quansah 8, Van Dijk 8, Gomez 8, Mac Allister 7, Elliott 6, Gravenberch 6, Diaz 8*, Nunez 8, Gakpo 7. Subs: Jota 6, Jones 6, Clark n/a, Konate n/a.

Key Stat: