“Wembley! Wembley!” roar
Liverpool supporters as the Reds beat Fulham 3-2 on aggregate to reach to the League Cup final
The final whistle at Craven Cottage confirmed Liverpool as Carabao Cup finalists and a buoyant away end breathed a sigh of relief and then began going through their hymn sheets.
Diogo Jota, Joe Gomez and, of course, Jurgen Klopp were all serenaded before a simple one-word chant commemorated their formal passage to a third domestic cup final in two years.
“Wembley! Wembley!” they roared long into the West London evening and the loud boos from the home end that greeted the gentle congratulatory message over the tannoy at Craven Cottage showed just what the Fulham faithful thought about it all. It went down like a lead balloon and it was difficult to blame them.
Marco Silva’s side ran the Reds close for the third time in less than two months but had nothing to show for their considerable efforts once more and if the hosts must be sick of the sight of their visitors from Merseyside, Klopp won’t want to come up against the Cottagers again anytime soon either.
A 1-1 draw on the night sees Liverpool into the final courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate victory and fans can start planning their itinerary for another trip to Wembley in late February where Chelsea once more lay in wait.
If the thousands of Fulham supporters were literally waving the white flags before kick-off as they marked their first ever League Cup semi final at home, their players did anything but as they pushed and pressed for a route back into the tie early on.
But having watched Jota and Darwin Nunez share four goals between them to make light of the injured Mohamed Salah at Bournemouth, it was Luis Diaz’s turn to get on the scoresheet with his early strike beating Bernd Leno too easily after he had nudged ahead of Timothy Castagne following a lovely, raking diagonal pass from the excellent Jarell Quansah.
Ryan Gravenberch and Harvey Elliott provided the midfield thrust in the two No.8 positions, constantly taking up positions that allowed them to drive forward at the Fulham backline.
In a midfield department that has spent so much time in flux during the last six to eight months or so, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai have forged ahead of the pack while the likes of Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara have spent the season attempting to get fit, but this was a good night for both Gravenberch and Elliott, who, at 21 and 20 respectively, have bright, long-term futures with the club.
With Szoboszlai now on the mend, Alexis Mac Allister in great form and Wataru Endo to return from Japan duty next month, the central options are plentiful for Klopp.
The ‘Great Midfield Rebuild’ that was undertaken at a cost of around £150m in the summer appears to be paying off handsomely as we reach the end of January and the addition of the classy Bobby Clark, a late substitute here, is also cause for careful optimism too.
Issa Diop bundled one past Caoimhin Kelleher off his thigh after substitute Harry Wilson had skipped by Conor Bradley too easily to set up a tense finish but Liverpool’s reserves of resilience didn’t desert them when they were most needed. Into the final they go.
When Klopp and his backroom staff sat down and discussed how they could rediscover the virtues that had previously made their Liverpool team one of the most feared in Europe prior to last season, it’s almost certain this competition did not feature in the conversation.
The League Cup represented fourth in the list of priorities back in July but they also know how much a run to the final can help propel the club towards other, more glamorous targets, and another Wembley day-out for supporters late next month will be cherished by those making the trip to the capital.
Once more it is Chelsea that await them as the two clubs get set to add another chapter to their recent history together in cup finals. The Reds saw off their rivals in both domestic cup competitions two years ago and will head to the national stadium with confidence that they make it three successive triumphs on February 25.
Some might scoff and attempt to belittle the League Cup but Liverpool know all about the importance of securing their name on this trophy. They are now looking to add a record 10th triumph to the honours’ list and have the recent experience of 2022 fresh in their mind for how it can help inject further impetus, momentum and belief into the remainder of the campaign.
