Liverpool book League Cup final date with Chelsea
Liverpool will face Chelsea in the League Cup final after surviving a scare in their 1-1 draw against Fulham in the semi-final second leg on Wednesday. Holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg, Liverpool took the lead through Luis Diaz early in the first half at Craven Cottage. That should have been the signal for a comfortable evening for Jurgen Klopp's side. But they missed several chances to kill off Fulham before Issa Diop's late goal set the stage for a dramatic denouement. Liverpool barely held on under Fulham's barrage of pressure before finally clinching a 3-2 aggregate success. "This was not a night to shine or play a bit of fancy football, it was a night to qualify for a final. The boys did really well and I'm really happy," Klopp said. In a repeat of the 2022 final won by Liverpool on penalties, the Reds will make their 14th appearance in the League Cup showpiece against Chelsea at Wembley on February 25. Liverpool have won the League Cup a record nine times, while Chelsea, who routed Middlesbrough 6-2 on aggregate on the other semi-final, have lifted the trophy on five occasions, most recently in 2015. (AFP)