Match report
Time to leave you with David Hytner’s match report. Thanks for joining me, wherever in the world you are. Until next time!
With Liverpool reaching the final, that means their Premier League game at home to Luton (scheduled for 24 February) will be moved – and their Wembley date will be followed by a trip to Nottingham Forest, the visit of Manchester City – and then the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. The Europa League last 16 ties are also pencilled in for 7 and 14 March.
Some post-game thoughts from Jarell Quansah: “Happy to get to a final and try and win a trophy. I felt a little bit rusty out there, but it’s all about playing games. Doing it with Conor [Bradley] is special, we’ve been playing together for 10 years.”
And from Virgil van Dijk: “We had to be ready, we started the game very well, scored and created many chances. In the end, we had to find a way to get to Wembley.” On his young defensive cohorts, he adds: “I’m proud of these guys, it’s only the beginning for them.”
No more goals in the Afcon matches – it ended Zambia 0-1 Morocco and Tanzania 0-0 DR Congo. That means Morocco and DR Congo advance … and so do hosts Ivory Coast, who sacked their manager today having looked doomed to go out early.
Speaking of Chelsea … they’re into the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League after a hard-fought win over Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
Full time! Fulham 1-1 Liverpool (2-3 on aggregate)
It is. Luis Diaz’s early strike tonight put Liverpool in command of the tie but Issa Diop’s leveller made things interesting with 15 minutes left to play. In the end, though, Liverpool deserved their victory over two legs. Next stop Wembley, and another final against Chelsea, on 25 February.
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94 mins: Wilson and Jimenez scrabble for the ball under pressure, before Tete is flagged offside. Is that it for Fulham?
93 mins: Kelleher gets booked for time-wasting with a goal kick; in theory, Simon Hooper should add on time for that. Let’s see.
92 mins: Fulham haven’t been able to get forward, with Liverpool’s attackers still pressing gamely. When they do, Quansah expertly hoofs it downfield, right into the corner in front of the away fans.
90 mins: Palhinha plays in Tete, whose cut-back finds Rodrigo – but there’s no space to get a shot in and when the ball rebounds to Palhinha, he balloons his shot into the stands. Four added minutes for Fulham to find something …
89 mins: But it’s Liverpool who come close here, Elliott flicking the ball through to Jota, who takes a touch too many and allows Leno to smother the ball.
88 mins: Liverpool have missed Nunez’s chaotic energy since he went off, but they’re holding on. Fulham need one more goal to take this to extra time …
86 mins: Jota nicks the ball away from Tosin, but Leno is off his line smartly to clear away.
85 mins: The relentless Luis Diaz wins a throw-in downfield after tussling with Tete. A chance to shave a few more seconds off the clock.
83 mins: Two more subs on for Liverpool – Gakpo and Gravenberch are withdrawn, replaced by Ibrahima Konaté and midfielder Bobby Clark. Looks like Jürgen’s shutting up shop.
82 mins: Three changes for Fulham – Kenny Tete, Harrison Reed and Rodrigo Muniz replace Pereira, Castagne and Cairney.
81 mins: This game has changed dramatically, and Fulham are pushing for a second goal. Willian’s cross towards Wilson is cleared by Van Dijk, before Pereira flashes the ball across the six-yard line, but finds nobody in white waiting.
79 mins: Silva has opted not to throw another attacker on just yet – but his only sub so far, Harry Wilson, is giving his old club big problems. This time, a snapshot from 12 yards out is nervously pushed away by Kelleher.
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78 mins: Having just let his football do the talking, Diop goes in the book for a reckless lunge on Jota. From the free kick, Elliott sends a hopeful effort wide.
From a Fulham free-kick, Diop stays upfield and is in the right place when Harry Wilson flicks the ball beyond Bradley and drills the ball across goal. The defender gets a thigh to the ball and send it beyond Kelleher!
GOAL! Fulham 1-1 Liverpool (agg 2-3) Diop 76'
Just as Marco Silva is preparing to send on a second striker, it’s centre-back Issa Diop who gets Fulham level, and sets up a grandstand finale!
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In the Women’s Champions League, Emma Hayes’ Chelsea lead Real Madrid 2-1 after a flurry of second-half goals:
72 mins: Jimenez adjusts his feet quickly to steer Palhinha’s low shot towards goal, but also takes the sting out of the shot and Kelleher collects. It’s One of Those – when it’s your night, that ends up in the corner of the net.
71 mins: Diop and Jota are quarrelling repeatedly, and Simon Hooper advises that he’s prepared to prescribe a yellow card each if they don’t button it.
69 mins: From out of very little, Wilson almost pounces to get Fulham level! Palhinha’s smart long ball cut out the Liverpool defence but Wilson, who was one-on-one with Kelleher, couldn’t get the ball under control.
“Kloppo isn’t the only famous German footy manager named Jürgen K to manage a big match this midweek,” notes Peter Oh. “South Korea gaffer Jürgen Klinsmann will be looking to avoid a slip-up against Malaysia in the Asian Cup tomorrow.”
That reminds me of my favourite recently-discovered football stat: South Korea haven’t won the Asian Cup since 1960.
66 mins: Two changes for Liverpool, as Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota come on for Mac Allister and Nunez.
65 mins: Are Fulham running out of steam? They’ve had chances, but their momentum has been constantly broken up by those Liverpool counters. Silva makes a change, sending on Harry Wilson for Decordova-Reid.
63 mins: Oooof! I’m not sure how this hasn’t gone in. Nunez holds the ball up, sends Palhinha on a merry dance and then lifts the ball towards the far post. The away end are waiting for it to crash in off the post, Cantona style, but instead it flies just wide.
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61 mins: Sky report that the stern-faced Marco Silva has a “playful side”, like he’s a Love Island bombshell or something.
60 mins: Some nice geometric passing between Gakpo and Diaz before Mac Allister dallies on the ball and is wrestled off it by Jimenez.
58 mins: From the corner, Fulham turn down multiple opportunities to clear their lines, but Liverpool also decline to find the killer pass.
56 mins: Castagne and Cairney can’t quite connect down the right and Liverpool break – helped by Hooper playing advantage when Luiz is brought down. It’s Nunez this time trying to finish it – but Leno tips it behind! At least one very loud fan in the away end thought that was going in.
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54 mins: As is tradition, when Fulham go close, Liverpool immediately break away in numbers – and this time, Leno saves Harvey Elliott’s shot with his legs to keep the hosts in the game!
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53 mins: Off the post! From Willian’s cross, Kelleher is beaten to the ball by Adarabiayo. His header is off target, but Pereira races onto it – and crashes the ball off the near post from a tight angle! That’s Fulham’s best chance since Palhinha’s volley inside the first 10 minutes.
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52 mins: Diaz’s cross deflects into Gakpo’s path and he lifts a telescopic boot to send the ball looping just over Leno’s crossbar. You just feel Liverpool have another goal in them, whenever it’s required.
51 mins: At the other end, Willian shapes to shoot and then prods it wide to Decordova-Reid, whose shot is charged down. Fulham corner, and this time Willian does go for goal, but there are far too many bodies to try and thread the ball through.
50 mins: Joe Gomez fires another long-range effort on goal, this time high and wide. He wants that goal, you know.
49 mins: Cairney’s crossfield ball towards Jimenez is overhit and drifts out of play. Decordova-Reid, who proved a handful at Anfield, hasn’t been able to get into the game.
48 mins: The best thing you can say from a Fulham perspective is that they probably should be more than a goal down by now. As it stands, they’re still in the game.
46 mins: Yikes! Fulham’s defence is cut open almost immediately, but Diaz cuts the ball back when a shot looked the better option. It rolls via Gakpo to Elliott, whose cross-shot eludes everyone and trickles behind the goal.
Here we go again
The teams return to the sound of London Calling, before Fulham get the second half under way.
Afcon latest: Morocco are on course to top Group F; Hakim Ziyech’s goal has the Atlas Lions 1-0 up on Zambia at half-time. Tanzania v DR Congo is goalless; if it all stays that way, DR Congo will go through in second place and Ivory Coast will grab the final last-16 spot as the fourth-best third-placed team.
Half-time up the road too, where Chelsea are goalless against Real Madrid, and in need of a goal to take charge of their Women’s Champions League group.
Half time: Fulham 0-1 Liverpool (aggregate 1-3)
Luis Diaz’s early deflected finish has made Fulham’s task even harder, and while the hosts have created half-chances, the visitors look just as likely to score on the break. But this is football, so anything can happen. Don’t go anywhere! You can watch the Traitors on catch up!
49 mins: Willian’s attempted square pass to Cairney is intercepted but Fulham win a free-kick near the halfway line. Pereira wanted the referee to play advantage, and slams the ball into the turf. He’s called back for a stern talking to, and Castagne’s free kick ends up sailing into Kelleher’s arms.
47 mins: Nunez drifts out to the left and sends the ball across the field to Elliott, who controls it beautifully and crosses with his left foot to the far post, where Gravenberch can’t apply the finishing touch that move deserved.
46 mins: Castagne is brought down by a sliding Mac Allister, leading Cairney to urgently ask Simon Hooper the question. There’s no yellow card, the free kick leads to a corner, but Liverpool get it away …
45 mins: There’ll be five added minutes, much of which was accrued fetching a fire bucket for the post-goal flare.
44 mins: Bradley looks a threat coming forward from right-back, and his cross in towards Nunez’s feet has to be cleared away by the alert Adarabioyo.
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41 mins: Tosin climbs highest to head clear the corner and a subsequent cross, allowing Willian to try and kick-start a counter. He feeds Cairney, who prods the ball beyond Mac Allister but collides with the Liverpool midfielder. Hooper shows him a yellow card, perhaps a little harshly.
39 mins: Willian plays it forward to Decordova-Reid who is a bit too casual and gets beaten to the ball by Joe Gomez. The left-back continues an all-action passage of play by charging upfield and having a bash at goal from 25 yards out. It’s deflected behind for a corner.
37 mins: Fulham have got their act together again and are applying pressure. Castagne tries to wriggle into space down the right, but gets crowded out. At the other end, Bradley’s cross is shanked out for a goal kick, to the home fans’ amusement.
35 mins: After some penalty-box pinball, Jimenez goes down under pressure from Gravenberch – but Simon Hooper says no penalty, correctly, as it turns out. Willian then smashes a shot from 30-odd yards out, but Kelleher is right behind it.
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33 mins: With a lack of willing runners alongside him, Tom Cairney ends up playing a through ball to himself and works it back to Decordova-Reid, who is cheaply brought down by Diaz. Fulham free kick …
32 mins: Save! Jimenez sends a low shot across goal, and Kelleher has to get down quickly to stop it creeping inside the far post. Liverpool break away immediately, but Nunez is denied by a well-timed tackle from Tosin Adarabioyo.
31 mins: Robertson is out for a warm-up on the touchline – he’s back on the bench for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery, and might get some game time tonight.
30 mins: Another Fulham attack fizzles out and Liverpool break downfield with a man advantage. Gravenberch opts to play it left to Diaz, but his near-post shot is undercooked and easy enough for Leno.
28 mins: Willian tries to thread a pass through to Jimenez down the left, but the Mexican had just strayed offside.
26 mins: Fulham keep trying to pass through the Liverpool press, and failing. It almost costs them here as the visitors win possession and Nunez gets in behind – but his acrobatic effort hits the post, and the flag goes up (correctly) before Diaz sends the rebound in off both posts.
24 mins: Another nervous moment for Leno as he dashes out to clear Elliott’s cross, but sees the ball ricochet off Cody Gakpo and just over the bar. It turns out Gakpo was just offside, in the end.
21 mins: Fulham haven’t been able to muster anything going forward since those two chances were swiftly followed by Diaz’s opener. Here it is, by the way:
Squeezed in by Luis Díaz! 🇨🇴💢 pic.twitter.com/JlqitgeRg6
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 24, 2024
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19 mins: Nunez gets under Van Dijk’s long ball and tries to nod it across to Gravenberch, but gets too much power on it, and it’s a goal kick.
“Fulham fan in South Bavaria – might not be too exotic,” offers Karl-Heinz Böck, while up the road in Frankfurt, Flip Woolf is backing Liverpool.
17 mins: The home crowd stay quiet, leading Liverpool fans to question their level of support with the traditional, sweary chant. Sky tech bods finally locate the pitchside volume dial after about 30 seconds.
@niallmcveigh far flung Liverpool fan here out in Princess Town, Western Region of Ghana after a failed attempt to see the Black Stars final group game in Cote d'Ivoire two nights ago when their fans ran riot - hoping for a better result here, but will take a draw.
— Brendan Dempsey (@brendempsey) January 24, 2024
15 mins: Liverpool go in search of another goal before the home fans rediscover their voices, and Elliott almost picks out Gravenberch with a cut-back.
13 mins: Suddenly all the noise is coming from the Putney End, where the Liverpool fans are stationed. A red flare is tossed on to the field, which has to be cleared away by ground staff. The goal looked a poor one from Leno’s perspective, but he may have been wrong-footed by the deflection(s).
Diaz shrugs off Castagne and scoots into the area, where his shot from a tight angle is deflected – possibly off both Tosin and Palhinha – and bobbles inside Bernd Leno’s near post. It may go down as an own goal in the end, but Liverpool are 3-1 up, either way.
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GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Liverpool (agg: 1-3) Diaz 11'
The end-to-end chaos continues – and Liverpool lead on the night through Luis Díaz!
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9 mins: Fulham burst forward again and Willian plays in Robinson on the overlap. His cross is heading towards Decordova-Reid at the far post – but Kelleher springs out of goal to tip it out of danger!
8 mins: Close! Pereira picks out Palhinha with a terrific delivery, and the midfielder volleys it first-time over the bar from close to the penalty spot. He had a bit of time there, having lost his marker.
7 mins: Although in a flash, Fulham break and Castagne’s mishit cross almost catches Kelleher out at the near post! He tips behind for a corner …
6 mins: Nunez cuts in from the left and fires towards the near post, but his deflected shot is held by Leno. All Liverpool so far …
5 mins: Diaz curls a lovely pass out to Conor Bradley, who sends it back across goal with a little too much power. Encouraging start for Liverpool, though.
3 mins: Liverpool are pressing high and have repeatedly won the ball from their nervy hosts early on. Quansah misjudges a crossfield pass towards Diaz, who appreciates the effort.
1 min: It’s a half-chance for Luis Diaz, who gets his head to Elliott’s floating cross but can only nod wide under pressure.
Peep!
We’re under way, and Liverpool get an early free kick in a half-decent position.
The teams are out at a noisy Craven Cottage. Sky just mentioned Klopp’s excellent semi-final record – he’s won eight out of nine ties with Liverpool before tonight. His only defeat came over two legs in this competition, against Southampton in 2017.
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And here are the pre-game thoughts of Marco Silva: “We believe we can change the result, we’re playing a top side, top of the league, but even at Anfield we showed our capacity. It is a huge opportunity for us, they are leading 2-1 but we have a chance at home to give our maximum.”
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Here’s Jürgen, and he says tonight is “the most important game of the season so far,” and the Carabao Cup is: “worth each yard, it’s exceptional, sensational. It’s sometimes not my favourite competition because we have to fit the games in. In the second leg, you’re not here to defend a result but to win a football game. We have to calm the atmosphere down tonight with our performance. Can we do that? We’ll try.”
“As possibly Britain’s most northerly Fulham fan (on the island of Whalsay, population 1,000, 30 minutes’ ferry journey from mainland Shetland), I’m hoping for another night like Juventus,” writes James Soper. “Stand up if you still believe, Fulham fans, wherever you might be.”
Lovely stuff. Any other far-flung Fulham (or indeed Liverpool) fans out there? Get in touch by email, or tweet @niallmcveigh.
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Another big game in Fulham tonight, as Chelsea host Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League. Join Sarah Rendell for that one:
“I think the changes the Kloppster makes most games also means it takes much of the first half to adjust,” writes Ian Copestake, “Liverpool don’t start quickly like they used to. But like a red tortoise (or green-and-white away tortoise?) they get there in the end.”
Red and green tortoises? I’m getting Mario Kart flashbacks. I guess Manchester City are the dreaded blue shell.
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Here’s a stat for you. I would say it’s working well for them so far.
191 - Liverpool have made 191 changes to their starting XI in all competitions this season, 56 more than any other Premier League side. Rotation. pic.twitter.com/jKEBS41HVJ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 24, 2024
“I may be corporeally in southwest France but I am emotionally in SW6, hoping to see the Whites through to a Wembley final against some team that can’t find their own borough to play in and have to squat in ours,” writes Richard Hirst.
“What a season defining seven nights await at the Cottage: tonight, then Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday and Everton in the league next Tuesday, with points still badly needed. Three wins would do nicely; well, you’re allowed to have dreams!” Bonne chance, Richard.
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A reminder that there is no VAR in operation tonight. That’s because Middlesbrough, who lost to Chelsea in the other semi-finals, don’t have the technology set up at the Riverside – so to level the playing field, it’s not in use across either of the semi-final ties.
The teams
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson; João Palhinha, Cairney; Decordova-Reid, Andreas Pereira, Willian; Jiménez.
Subs: Rodak, Tete, Reed, Wilson, Ream, Rodrigo Muñiz, Lukic, Vinícius, Francois.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, van Dijk, Gomez;
Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Elliott; Gakpo, Nuñez, Díaz.
Subs: Alisson, Konate, Jones, Jota, Robertson, Clark, McConnell, Beck, Nyoni.
Referee: Simon Hooper.
Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long.
Fourth official: Tony Harrington.
Jürgen Klopp has made four changes from the win at Bournemouth, with Caoimhin Kelleher starting in goal, Jarell Quansah replacing Ibrahim Konaté in defence, Ryan Gravenberch in for Curtis Jones in midfield, and Cody Gakpo preferred to Diogo Jota up front. Most significantly of all, Andy Robertson is back on the bench for the first time since October.
For Fulham, Timothy Castagne comes in for Kenny Tete at right-back, while Bobby Decordova-Reid is preferred to Harry Wilson as Marco Silva makes two changes from the side who lost 1-0 at Chelsea way back on 13 January – and puts out the same line-up that earned a respectable 2-1 defeat in the first leg at Anfield.
Here are the line-ups from Twitter; yes, I’m still calling it Twitter.
Your Fulham. ™#FULLIV pic.twitter.com/3UOZDAowAN
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) January 24, 2024
The Reds to take on Fulham tonight 📋🔴#FULLIV | #CarabaoCup
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 24, 2024
More Afcon drama as … er, maybe not … it’s finished South Africa 0-0 Tunisia and Namibia 0-0 Mali in the final Group E games. Still, that sends Tunisia home and the other three sides through – and leaves Ivory Coast hoping for the Group F results to go their way. Poor Yara El-Shaboury sat through both games here:
Preamble
In the 145 years since they first formed as St Andrew’s Church Sunday School FC, Fulham Football Club are yet to win a major trophy. Their opponents tonight, Liverpool, have won a few – 50, to be precise – so arrive here with a significant historical advantage, to go alongside the 2-1 aggregate lead accrued at Anfield.
Still, with 11 days off since the first leg and Liverpool back in action just three days after beating Bournemouth, tonight represents a big opportunity for Fulham. The presence of Chelsea – long-time local overlords, but in a rare period of vulnerability – in the final should also serve as inspiration for Marco Silva’s side.
It’s been 10 years since a team from outside England’s core group of elite trophy-gatherers got their hands on the League Cup, when Swansea beat fourth-tier Bradford City in an outlier of a final. Since then, Manchester City (six), United (two), Chelsea (one) and, yes, Liverpool (one) have ensured a big-club monopoly.
Jürgen Klopp’s side have an ominous momentum across several competitions, and are hot favourites to book what must be their 127th domestic Cup final against Chelsea in the last decade. Home fans and neutrals will hold on to hope for another famous nights under the lights at Craven Cottage. Kick-off is at 8pm, GMT.
