Chelsea - Liverpool summary: score, goals & highlights, Carabao Cup final

That's all, folks!

Thanks for joining in on the action that saw Liverpool claim their record 10th League Cup.

Joe

Here's a snap of the goal

The moment that Liverpool knew they'd won the Carabao Cup.

League Cup number 10

Liverpool extend their lead as the team with the most League Cups in English football.

Full-time thoughts:

The game was played at something close to light speed, with all 22 players racing towards the opposition goal at every opportunity.

Fantastic saves from both goalkeepers kept shots out from Mudryk, Gallagher, Gakpo, Díaz and just about everyone else.

Normally a cup final is a cagey affair, a game which nobody wants to lose and therefore makes them too scared to try and win: not today, not this final. Gravenberch went off injured but that was the only negative point in a stunning exhibition of football from start to finish.

What a game!

There are tears in the eyes of Virgil van Dijk, the match winner, the huge centre back who rose highest to give Liverpool the late win in a hard-fought contest that went the distance.

FULL-TIME!

LIVERPOOL ARE LEAGUE CUP CHAMPIONS

The three minutes are up...

Palmer is booked for a late tackle. 90 seconds to go.

The red smoke, the noise, the scarves and the screams from the Liverpool fans is quite something right now.

3 added minutes.

We're back underway.

The corner from Tskimikas was met by Van Dijk and he thundered a header into the far corner of the goal. 

The red side of Wembley has erupted once again!

LIVERPOOL ARE AHEAD

The angle was tight for Elliott but he got on Tskimikas' cross and somehow the goalkeeper's reflexes meant he could get a huge hand onto the ball.

HUGE SAVE!

Petrovic gets something on the far post header from Harvey Elliott and the ball remains on the right side of the white line!

Madueke does well to drive forward 30 yards with the ball at his feet but the decision to play in behind early is a terrible one. Liverpool recover the ball with ease.

Tskimikas smashes a first time shot towards Petrovic which is caught by the goalkeeper.

More Chelsea changes:

OFF: Chilwell

ON: Chalobah

SAVE. Kelleher saves Madueke's effort that is chased down by Nkunku. The Irishman collects the ball and Liverpool fans breathe a sigh of relief.

Liverpool come forward and Chelsea clear the cross from Tskimikas. Neither side can find a way thorough.

Incredible. Chelsea break and the ball is slipped behind to Madueke, who makes a complete mess of his cross and passes to a red shirt inside the box.

Liverpool's James McConnell gets a booking for holding back Palmer as the forward breaks away.

Chelsea are sitting in a 5-4-1 as Liverpool pass around the back line. The tempo has dropped.

And we're off, again!

Fifteen to go...

Liverpool change:

OFF: Konaté

ON: Quansah

We've just got time for a short team talk as well as some rapid leg rubs.

Somehow it's still 0-0...

Fifteen to go!

Second half coming up!

1 added minute.

Of course, having typed that, Chelsea come a-knocking on Liverpool's door and it's Van Dijk who blocks Nkunku's close-range effort. 

Chelsea's team looks a lot more disjointed after all the changes and they have lost all their on-ball cohesion.

BLOCKED. Díaz sends a low cross towards Danns who sees the ball taken from his toes by Levi Colwill at the last second from just a few yards out!

We're into minute 100, which is always fun.

INTO THE SIDE NETTING. Harvey Elliott smacks a volley into the side netting from close range. The contact on the dropping ball was not perfect and the effort didn't trouble Petrovic, even if fans on the other side of the goal thought it went in.

Chelsea change:

OFF: Gallagher

ON: Madueke

Chelsea are struggling to keep up with the energy being put onto the pitch by the red shirts. 

It's the Liverpool youngsters who are dominating things at the moment and they have Chelsea locked into their own half.

SAVE FROM PETROVIC!

Danns leaps high to head Van Dijk's cross towards goal and his header forces an acrobatic save from Petrovic!

Liverpool go on the offensive right away and win a corner...

As usual, the game starts off at lightning pace. 

The ball is rolling!

Here we go again!

Quick team talks on the pitch

This is always a fun part of football.

FULL-TIME!

Extra-time here we come!

Liverpool are happy to keep the ball and watch the clock tick down.

Chelsea come at Liverpool and Nkunku slips as he shoots. The ball lands with Palmer who sees his shot saved.

Legs swing at the ball from just yards out and somehow it ends up in the grasp of Kelleher.

I simply cannot explain how Chelsea did not score...

OH MY WORD WHAT A SAVE 

HOW DID LIVERPOOL SURVIVE?????

Mudryk flashes a low cross into the box from the left but Nkunku can't get a touch on the ball and Liverpool clear. 

6 added minutes.

OFF: Jackson

ON: Mudryk

Danns goes for goal from distance and Petrovic leaps to save.

Liverpool changes:

OFF: Robertson, Mac Allister, Gakpo

ON: McConnell, Danns, Tsimikas

Wow. What a save. Palmer plays a pass square across the pitch to Gallagher who is all alone. The player is 1vs1 and shoots from inside the box. Somehow Kelleher smothers the ball and saves his side once again!

HUGE SAVE FROM KELLEHER

CHANCE. Nkunku can't get on Malo Gusto's far-post cross and Liverpool get away with one there as the France international was all alone.

Konaté is booked for a late challenge on Enzo Fernández.

CHANCE. Robertson's shot is always spinning away from goal as the full-back raises his hands to his head inside the box.

Less than ten to go...

Can you call a winner?

Legs are heavy as Díaz races down the left wing before cutting inside. The ball is worked to the opposite side before Gomez smashes a shot at Petrovic's palms.

HUGE CHANCE. Van Dijk steps in to swipe the ball from the feet of Gallagher in a carbon copy of the previous action. This time, however, Gallagher had turned inside the box and was ready to draw his leg back to fire at goal.

Palmer squares to Gallagher inside the box and on his own. The midfielder directs the ball to the far post: Kelleher can only stand still and watch as it fizzes past him and onto the post!

GALLAGHER OFF THE POST

Disasi's interception stops the threaded pass from Liverpool finding Gakpo in behind. Another sensational last-gasp intervention from a player in blue.

CHANCE. Nkunku saves Chelsea from going behind after he races back and swipes away Gakpo's cross that looks set to drop at the feet of Elliott inside the box.

Bobby Clark is just 19-years-old. What a moment for the youngster.

Liverpool change:

OFF: Bradley

ON: Clark

CHANCE. Gakpo lashes over after a nice run from Luis Díaz on the left. Still goalless, somehow.

BIG CHANCE!

I don't know how, but Disasi hits the dropping ball up in the air from one yard out. The corner came in from Gallagher and the centre-back was at the back post where he made possibly thestrangest contact I've ever seen.

Chelsea win a free-kick close to the right corner flag after Gallagher is brought down by Robertson.

Chelsea change:

OFF: Sterling

ON: Nkunku

Liverpool keep the pressure up as the red smoke from the fans dissipates.

The ball is rolling once again.

OFFSIDE!

Endo was half a yard offside as the ball was swung into the box.

THE REFEREE IS GOING TO THE SCREEN

There is a VAR check for a possible offside!

VAR CHECK ALERT

The free-kick is whipped in and lands on the head of the flying Dutchman who crashes a header into the bottom left corner!

The red side of Wembley explodes!

Liverpool have a free-kick in a wide left position as they look to reassert their dominance.

SAVE! Petrovic acrobatically pushes away Elliott's volley from Gakpo's cross.

The shot was bouncing and wasn't hit like a thunderbolt, but there were plenty of players ahead of the goalkeeper so the flying punch was indeed the safest option.

Van Dijk plays yet another long ball over the top towards Bradley and again it's Petrovic who collects.

Palmer goes for goal and drags his shot wide but Chilwell will rightly be furious, as the full-back was in an advanced position and unmarked.

Petrovic comes well off his line to head the ball out after it was sent sailing over the Chelsea defence with Gakpo running in behind.

HUGE CHANCE FOR ENZO. Chelsea break with Jackson, who squares inside the box to Gallagher. The ex-Palace player plays across goal to Enzo who, with his back to Kelleher, goes for a back-heel instead of playing to a teammate.

Gallagher collapses to the floor in anger as the weak shot rolls well wide.

Sparks are flying all across the pitch: Díaz takes down Malo Gusto just as Konaté scrambles all over Jackson at the other end of the pitch.

It's a miraculous recovery and we're back rolling.

Caicedo is down, holding his knee.

CHANCE. Again, it's Liverpool putting the pressure on. The ball falls to Endo on the edge of the box and he hits a spinning shot that swerves past the far post.

BIG CHANCE! Thirty seconds in, Díaz races down the left wing and smashes a low cross into the box that is put behind.

AND WE'RE OFF!

No changes from either side.

Here come the players!

Almost ready for the second half.

Will we see any changes?

The two teams were so even in the first period, so I don't think we will see any changes.

Here's a snap of the super Kelleher save

Palmer thought his close range shot was in - and so did I!

That was fun!

Gravenberch's injury is the only negative point to an otherwise hugely entertaining first half of cup final football.

Both sides have had chances and pressed the juices out of each other, with Sterling seeing his goal ruled out for an offside a mouse would've been annoyed about right before Gakpo slapped the post with a ferocious header.

HALF-TIME!

An entertaining half of football ends goalless.

A string of 30+ passes from Liverpool is finally run out of play and we move into the final minute of the half.

Chilwell and Bradley are booked for being naughty boys.

Play is stopped as Chilwell and Bradley start pushing and shoving each other. Players on both sides race over to support their friends.

Chelsea have a back line of 6 players as Liverpool sit on the edge of the box like a cat stalking a bird.

6 added minutes.

HUGE CHANCE! Bradley's shot from close range is blocked as Liverpool threaten Chelsea's goal time after time from just a few yards out.

The same thing occurs as before: instead of going for goal, Klopp's side are aiming to pass their way into the goal, with the players reluctant to test Petrovic.

Liverpool are finishing the half strongly: Díaz slides a pass across the box into the path of Gakpo, who tries to bounce a pass sideways to Elliott, but Chelsea clear.

On second viewing, Gakpo could've done a lot better with that header. Nobody around him jumped and the goalkeeper's studs were planted in the ground.

The cross came in from the left and it was Gakpo who leaped highest before directing his glancing header off the far post!

GAKPO OFF THE POST!

Throw-in: headed out. Throw-in: headed out. Throw-in: headed out. That was the last 2 minutes of play.

Just over 5 to go in the first half...

CHANCE. Kelleher gets down to collect the ball as Chelsea come back at Liverpool. Gallagher's low cross from the left is nearly met by Palmer who is sniffing around but the goalkeeper is quicker off the mark and smothers the ball.

That was a great chance for Liverpool, who continued to pass, pass, pass instead of test Petrovic in the Chelsea goal as the defence scrambled back.

Liverpool come at Chelsea thanks to a mazy run from Elliott. The midfielder zooms past various challenges before arriving at the box, where various Liverpool players all refuse to shoot despite the advanced position.

Back underway.

OFFSIDE!

There are inches in it.

Palmer played Jackson in behind who raced away and crossed to Sterling.

All the former Liverpool winger had to do was tap into the goal, but now it seems that Jackson may have been behind the Liverpool defensive line.

Wait!

VAR check for offside.

Palmer's cross is whipped in from the right and looks for half a second like it could creep in at the back post, but Kelleher calms the fears and catches.

Chelsea have restarted the game on the front foot and have Liverpool scrambling as Enzo begins to dictate what goes on in midfield.

We're back underway.

Liverpool change:

OFF: Gravenberch

ON: Gomez

Gravenberch goes off on a stretcher.

Joe Gomez is coming on.

The stretcher is on for Gravenberch, and it looks like his day might be over...

Both Jürgen and Pep Lijnders are furious on the touchline at Caicedo, who looks to have got away with one there...

Gravenberch is down. He took a lot of studs to the left ankle from Caicedo.

Well, for all of Liverpool's dominance, that was certainly the closest either team have come to scoring. Chelsea look like they've woken up now.

Chelsea attack with Palmer, who crosses to Sterling inside the box.

Madness ensues as tackles fly in and and it's Palmer who smashes towards goal from a few yards out.

Kellher stretches a huge arm to his left as he falls to the ground and manages to keep the ball from crossing the line!

HUGE SAVE FROM KELLEHER

The Liverpool press is causing Chelsea heaps of problems in defence, as they can't find a way out that's not a long ball towards Jackson.

No foul given as Bradley battles with Jackson for a long clearance over the top, with the ex-Villarreal forward going to ground as the pair race for the dropping ball.

Chilwell trips Bradley as the youngster advances down the right side of the box. Liverpool are dominating proceedings here in the opening stages.

Chelsea have what might be their best spell of possession, but Caicedo's chipped ball towards Malo Gusto on the right flies behind for a goal-kick. 

BIG SAVE! Petrovic gets down well to stop the low drive from Luis Díaz, who cut inside and thundered a shot towards the corner.

Chelsea's first shot on target comes from Malo Gusto, who hits a weak volley towards Kelleher after the ball dropped at his feet from a poor clearance.

Kelleher gets off his line to punch away Chilwell's corner. It's Chelsea's turn to put some pressure on their opponents.

The pace of this game in the opening stages is incredibly high. Neither team can get a hold on the ball, especially in the middle third.

CHANCE. Robertson is open on the left and Elliott finds him with a long ball. The full-back advances and puts a ball high into the air that lands on the head of Díaz. The header is tough and loops up in the sky, where it's caught by Petrovic.

Disasi misses his header and the ball falls to Konaté, who isn't expecting it to drop to him at the back post and inadvertently touches the ball with his hand.

It's Mac Allister who takes it and Chelsea clear to the edge of the box, where Endo is taken down by Caicedo. This is a good chance for the Reds to put the ball in the danger zone.

Ouch. Colwill leaves one on Mac Allister and Liverpool have a free-kick in the Chelsea half, close to the right touchline. Robertson over it.

The two teams are just feeling each other with their antennae, like curious cockroaches. The tension is high and so is the tempo.

Van Dijk makes contract with Enzo's first time chip over Liverpool's back line and the ball, that was destined for Jackson as he ran in behind, goes out for a throw.

Gallagher is keeping a close eye on Mac Allister as Liverpool roll the ball around the back line. There's no easy route out for the Reds at the moment.

Chelsea's attackers are pressing incredibly high up the pitch and both Sterling and Gallagher have already given away a couple of fouls.

AND WE'RE OFF!

Liverpool get the ball rolling.

While the national anthem is going on, I'll give you a curious fact

It was Marcelo Bielsa who found Mauricio Pochettino and brought him to Newell's Old Boys in Rosario, Argentina to start his career as a player.

Bielsa, met the youngster's parents and went into Pochettino's room at night as he was sleeping, in order to check out his legs before confirming 'yes, those are the legs of a footballer'.

Before we get going, Virgil van Dijk is presenting the Liverpool XI to the (absolutely delighted) head honchos at Carabao. If anyone knows what Carabao is, send me a tweet.

Here come the players!

What a noise from the crowd!

The players are in the tunnel!

All 22 players are ready to step out on the pitch!

What an atmosphere at Wembley!

Two huge club badges have been unravelled onto the pitch and the two sets of fans are singing their hearts out as we hurtle towards kick-off!

Can Klopp seal more silverware?

The German has announced that he's departing the club after 9 seasons at the helm - can he add another trophy to his tally today?

A final reminder of the starting XIs:

CHELSEA:

GK: Petrovic

DEF: Chilwell - Disasi - Colwill - Malo Gusto

MID: Caicedo - Gallagher - Enzo

ATT: Sterling - Jackson - Palmer

LIVERPOOL:

GK: Kelleher

DEF: Bradley - Van Dijk - Konaté - Robertson

MID: Endo - Gravenberch - Mac Allister

ATT: Díaz - Gakpo - Elliott

FIFTEEN MINUTES TO GO!

The pre-game warmups are finishing up as the atmosphere builds inside the sold-out stadium!

CARABAO CUP

Which team has won the Carabao Cup the most times in history?

Which team has won the most EFL Cups?

Liverpool sit top of the record pile with 9 EFL Cup wins. Manchester City, as has become common over recent years, have crept up behind them.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have 5, the same as Aston Villa.

1. Liverpool: 9

2. Man City: 8 

3. Man Utd: 6

4. Aston Villa: 5

4. Chelsea: 5

Recent results between the two:

Liverpool's recent win over Chelsea was a blip in a largely tight run of fixtures between the two sides.

Jan 31 2024 | Liverpool 4-1 Chelsea 

Aug 13 2023 | Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool

Apr 4 2023 | Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool

Jan 21 2023 | Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea

Jürgen Klopp pre-game quotes:

Less than 30 minutes until kick-off!

Here's a reminder of the starting XIs from both sides.

The votes are flying in!

Readers think overwhelmingly that Liverpool are the favourites for the game, and I must say that I agree.

Even despite the number of casualties, the Reds have managed to stay top of the Premier League and look likely to seal another piece of silverware before Jürgen Klopp departs in the summer. 

CARABAO CUP

Chelsea - Liverpool: times, how to watch online, on TV | Carabao Cup final

Want to watch the game?

Well, here you have all the television and streaming info to watch Pochettino’s Chelsea face Klopp’s Liverpool in the 2024 Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Player to watch: Cole Palmer

Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea splashed out a reported $50 million on a youngster with practically no first team experience, with many seeing it as another example of Chelsea owner Boehly flexing his pocket muscles ahead of the new season.

Palmer, however, had other plans, and left Manchester City to make the move south and prove everyone wrong. Since his move to Chelsea, Palmer has shown his class from the wing and, as shown in the graphic, is one of Chelsea's top contributors when to comes to attacking sequences.

CARABAO CUP

Why are all British soccer finals played at Wembley Stadium?

Wembley, Wembley, we’re the famous [insert team name here] and we’re off to Wembley! 

The famous chant comes from the stands when a team in England gets past the semi-final stage of a domestic cup competition, and signifies a trip to the capital for a chance at silverware.

But why Wembley? It’s a good question: Spain, one of football’s most successful countries, doesn’t have a national stadium. Finals are played wherever fits, be it Real Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Valencia’s Mestalla, Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano or elsewhere. But not in England. Trophies are lifted at Wembley, Europe’s second largest sport stadium.

Pre-Cup final player quotes:

LIVERPOOL XI REVEALED:

No Mo Salah for Liverpool who start with their strongest side possible. Darwin and Szoboszlai are also not part of the squad.

CHELSEA XI REVEALED:

It's as we expected from Pochettino, who goes with his strongest XI available.

Chilwell captains the side in the absence of Thiago Silva, who is not fit enough to make the bench. Robert Sánchez, the other doubt, is part of the squad.

Team news on the way!

The Chelsea social media admin are teasing us with the team news!

CARABAO CUP

Mohamed Salah injury update: will he play for Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea?

Reds assistant manager Pep Lijnders has spoken about the Egypt star’s fitness ahead of today's EFL Cup final at Wembley.

Salah's participation is the big question on everyone's lips ahead of the game, with the winger recovering from an injury that has kept him out since he left England for AFCON duty at the turn of the year.

The Blues are in the house!

Chelsea's squad have arrived nice and early at Wembley ahead of kick-off and that means we should have the team news shortly.

The famous Wembley arch is glistening in the sun

Wembley is one of the most iconic stadiums in world football, and some iteration of the venue has been around since 1923.

The ‘new’ Wembley opened in 2007 and holds 90,000 fans, making it the largest in the UK and the second-largest in Europe. 

CARABAO CUP

How much money do the winners of the Carabao Cup final get?

As Chelsea and Liverpool go head to head in the 2024 EFL Cup final, we take a look at the prize money up for grabs at the showpiece event at Wembley.

According to reports, the EFL Cup’s showpiece event is worth just £100,000 ($127,000) to the team that lifts England’s secondary domestic cup; the runners-up will receive £50,000 ($63,500).

Pochettino's letter to Chelsea fans:

Chelsea supporters,

Today at Wembley we can create something special. A memory that lives with us all. A moment that endures.

Finals have this power. They unite us. Families will come together and be connected in their emotion. Friends will share this experience and be bonded.

Then there are the children who will live a final for the first time. It is something that always stays with you.

For me, it was the 1978 World Cup final in Argentina. I watched with my father. I was just six years old but I remember it so well.

...

Many people from the club will be at Wembley today to help us as a team, but also to help translate the atmosphere of the final to the supporters that can’t be in the stadium. Only if we are together can we live these special moments and create these memories.

We want the same as you. We want to continue the traditions of Chelsea. We want this trophy.

See you at Wembley,

Mauricio

Here's the Chelsea dressing room

The Blues will be, as you might have expected, are in their blue home kit for today's game.

This means we may have a clash of home kits for the game, red vs blue, which would be lovely indeed.

Have your say!

We've got a live poll up and running ahead of the game.

You can vote onwho you think is going to win the game, as well as give us your score prediction, if you're feeling brave enough.

Last time they played:

The last time these two sides faced each other, the result was a resounding 4-1 win for Liverpool at the end of Janaury.

Goals from Jota, Bradley, Szoboszlai and Luis Díaz sealed the victory and the three points for the Reds, with Chelsea continuing to struggle in the league.

It seems that Chelsea's recent form has taken an upwards turn and since that loss they've gone unbeaten, winning against Wolves, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, as well as managing a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

CARABAO CUP

Chelsea injury update ahead of the Carabao Cup final, predicted starting XI

Manager Mauricio Pochettino has had a tough time as Chelsea boss since his arrival in July last year, and the club currently sit in 10th in the Premier League table, a huge 12 points away from playing European football next season. 

As such, winning the Carabao Cup gives the London side a huge chance to take in the prize money and view the season in a completely different light, as well as securing a European spot, although that is a completely different - and very real -problem.

Here’s the predicted Chelsea starting XI:

GK: Petrovic

DEF: Chilwell - Colwill - Disasi - Malo Gusto

MID: Caicedo - Enzo - Gallagher

ATT: Sterling - Jackson - Palmer

Who's the ref?

For those of you with the Referee Spotter’s Guides open and ready, you can tick off Chris Kavanagh, who is in charge today. 

Kavanagh will be assisted by James Mainwaring and Mark Scholes; Tim Robinson is the fourth official. 

The VAR official is John Brooks, and he will be supported by Marc Perry as the Assistant VAR.

Here's how things look ahead of kick-off

As expected, the pitch looks pristine as the final preparations are underway ahead of letting the fans inside. 

CARABAO CUP

Chelsea - Liverpool: times, how to watch online, on TV | Carabao Cup final

Get all the television and streaming info you need to watch Pochettino’s Chelsea face Klopp’s Liverpool in the 2024 Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Here’s how you can feast your eyes on the action as it unfolds, as well as keep an eye on the live text coverage for when the camera inevitably cuts away.

Team news: Chelsea

Chelsea are without captain Reece James, as well as Benoit Badiashile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Marc Cucurella and Romeo Lavia, who are also ruled out.

Both Thiago Silva and Robert Sánchez could return to the side.

Team news: Liverpool

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota are all out of contention today due to various injury concerns.

They join the long term list of Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak and Joel Matip on the sideline.

And that’s not all, as late calls will be made on the fitness of Darwin, Salah and Szoboszlai.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the live text coverage from AS USA of the Carabao Cup final, live from Wembley!

It’s Joe here today to guide you through the action that should start in around 90 minutes.