The winner of Wednesday’s semifinal second-leg match between Liverpool and Fulham at Craven Cottage will face Chelsea in the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on February 25.
Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo’s goals ignited a late rally that gave the Reds a 2-1 lead after the first leg (away goals are not used). Willian’s goal at the near post in the 19th minute put Liverpool ahead, but late in the game, goals from Jones (68th minute) and Gakpo (71st minute) turned the tide in Liverpool’s favour. On Sunday, January 21, Liverpool defeated Bournemouth 4-0 in Premier League action, their first Premier League match since the first leg two weeks prior. Meanwhile, the Cottagers went on their one-week winter vacation and haven’t played since January 13. With their respective braces in the victory over Bournemouth, Darwin Nuñez and Diogo Jota now have 10 and 11 goals in all competitions this season.
For Fulham, on the other hand, scoring goals has become increasingly difficult lately. The team led by Marco Silva has only once in their last eight games across all competitions scored more than one goal. Even though Fulham is in 13th place in the Premier League with 24 points from 21 games, they appear to be secure. However, the club’s first League Cup is only 180 minutes away. Since Clint Dempsey and company came in second to Atletico Madrid in the 2009–10 Europa League final, Fulham has not advanced to a cup final.
