English League Cup: Liverpool Gets Past Fulham to Get Ready for Chelsea at the Summit

Once again, Liverpool takes on Chelsea.

The English League Cup championship is at stake in a rekindled rivalry between the two teams at Wembley Stadium on February 25, after their matchup in back-to-back domestic finals in 2022.

Liverpool advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 aggregate victory against Fulham on Wednesday, setting up a rematch with Chelsea.

“We’ve been there before, so we know what to anticipate. Once again, Chelsea, what an incredible narrative it is, said Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool. “Wembley is a unique location, and I’m thrilled that everyone involved can experience it,”

With a 2-1 advantage from the first leg against Fulham, Liverpool won at Craven Cottage.

Fulham tied the score in the 76th minute thanks to a goal from Issa Diop, but Luis Diaz’s strike in the 11th minute proved to be the game-winning goal.

Chelsea secured their spot in the championship game on Tuesday, winning 6-2 overall after thrashing Middlesbrough of the second division 6-1.

After a goalless draw in the championship match, Liverpool defeated Chelsea on penalties two years ago to win the League Cup. That season, after another 0-0 match, it triumphed on penalties in the FA Cup final to complete a trophy double against the Londoners.

However, after the team lost the Premier League championship on the last day of the season and was defeated by Real Madrid in the Champions League final, Klopp’s dreams of completing a quadruple in 2022 came to an end.

His club missed out on Champions League qualifying and finished the previous season without a trophy, but they are now back in the running for trophies.

Klopp said, “You should never take for granted if you are a member of the team that can qualify for trophies.”

Following a disappointing campaign the previous year, Klopp has reconstructed his squad, embarked on a four-pronged trophy chase, and has the chance to win a record-tying tenth League Cup.

After 11 minutes, Diaz received a long, diagonal ball from Jarell Quansah, surged into the area, and blasted low past goalkeeper Bernd Leno to give Liverpool the lead against Fulham.

However, a strong lead was challenged as Fulham launched a valiant comeback in the second half.

Early in the second half, Andreas Pereira struck the post with a tight angle, coming dangerously close to equalizing the score.

In the 76th minute, Diop’s close-range conversion of substitute Harry Wilson’s cross pulled the home side level.

Soon thereafter, Wilson’s long-range attempt had to be pushed away with a diving save by Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

“We should be pleased with the manner we performed in the competition’s games. Manager of Fulham Marco Silva said, “We are aware of the caliber of the opposition we faced.”