Liverpool advanced to the Carabao Cup final after a 1-1 draw with Fulham in the second leg of the semi-final at Craven Cottage.
It meant Jurgen Klopp’s side won the tie 3-2 on aggregate with Luis Diaz’s early goal in the second leg proving crucial.
It was a largely comfortable tie for Liverpool, who controlled the game for long periods. They rode their luck at times and had to withstand Fulham pressure when Issa Diop equalised with 15 minutes to go.
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Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino await them in the final in a re-run of the 2022 final which Liverpool won on penalties.
Here, Andrew Jones analyses Liverpool’s draw with Fulham.
GO DEEPER
Jurgen Klopp to leave Liverpool at end of season
Could a quadruple be on?
Feels familiar doesn’t it?
Liverpool remain in all four competitions and have navigated a Carabao Cup semi-final with Chelsea waiting at Wembley.
In 2021-22, Liverpool went on to win the two domestic cups but fell short in the league and Europe. They will hope to go one or two better this time — being in the Europa League, not the Champions League, may help.
Klopp has built a squad packed full of quality and with impressive strength in depth. Even with several important players out, they continue to navigate each challenge they face.
From a position of strength, they are set to get stronger too. Andrew Robertson, who has been out since October, was back on the bench and he is set to be one of many key first-team players returning to fitness or from tournaments in the next few weeks. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai are the closest.
Did Liverpool buck their slow-start trend?
Jurgen Klopp’s tactical tweaks and contributions from substitutes have been the theme of Liverpool’s season so far. Yet it was their quick start that meant they needed neither.
Fulham started nervously and were loose in possession. Liverpool, on the other hand, started on the front foot and with purpose.
Luis Diaz headed wide and Darwin Nunez forced Bernd Leno into action early on while Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch picked up possession in pockets of space.
As the home side finally looked to have found a foothold in the game, Liverpool took the lead.
On 11 minutes, Diaz controlled a crossfield pass from Jarell Quansah, drove into the box, cut inside and his deflected effort wormed its way through Leno’s hand and into the corner.
It gave Liverpool an early lead and extended their advantage on aggregate, allowing them to control the rest of the tie.
Did Gravenberch impress?
Of Liverpool’s four midfield purchases this summer, Ryan Gravenberch has been the slowest starter.
There are reasons for that. He arrived on the final day of the transfer window, therefore playing no part in pre-season. He hadn’t played much football during the previous campaign for Bayern Munich, and sometimes it can take players time to adjust to Klopp’s demands.
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After a promising start, his performances have become more inconsistent and that has brought questions.
His performance against Fulham offered more encouraging signs. He was bright throughout — his confidence to receive the ball was never in question, as he consistently found pockets of space and drove Liverpool towards Fulham’s box while keeping possession, finishing the game with 89 per cent passing accuracy.
Out of possession remains a bigger area to improve. He, alongside the excellent Harvey Elliott, was key in Liverpool’s counter-press, creating a great opportunity via an interception early in the second half. The 21-year-old, however, still showed the occasional lapse in concentration or positioning.
What did Klopp say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Liverpool?
Sunday, January 28: Norwich City (H), FA Cup, 2.30pm GMT, 9.30am ET
The last 16 beckons as Norwich, currently eighth in the Championship, come to Anfield. They will be greeted with smiles — not only have Liverpool won the past seven meetings, but Norwich head coach David Wagner was Jurgen Klopp’s best man when he married wife Ulla in 2005. The two men have been friends since they were team-mates at German club Mainz in the 1990s.
Wednesday, January 31: Chelsea (H), Premier League, 8.15pm GMT, 3.15pm ET
A second home match in four days, and a rematch of the 1-1 at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of this season and now a cup-final dress rehearsal. Will we get a winner for a change? The last seven matches between these two clubs have ended in draws, albeit Liverpool won penalty shootouts after two of them in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals two seasons ago.
