Chelsea v Liverpool: Carabao Cup final – live | Carabao Cup

Half-time reading

(And while we’re discussing a metaphorical thrust of two fingers.)

Half time: Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool

45+2 min: It’s kicking off (2024 version)! Chilwell and Bradley have a falling out, which leads to a bit of an impromptu gathering from both sets of players and one or two hearty shoves. Chilwell and Bradley are booked, though replays suggest Bradley didn’t do much wrong.

45+1 min Six minutes of added time, mainly for the Gravenberch injury. Diaz, who has come alive, has a long-range shot blocked.

45 min: Chance for Bradley! It’s been a ding-ding first half, and now Chelsea are hanging on. Diaz receives a pass from Elliott in his own half, gallops past Enzo and runs all the way into the Chelsea area before finding the overlapping Elliott.

Elliott’s low cross is cut out at the near post but comes to Diaz, who dummies to shoot and then picks out the unmarked Bradley on the other side of the area. His low shot is desperately blocked by Colwill in the six-yard box. Petrovic probably had it covered; probably.

40 min: Gakpo hits the post! Liverpool come so close to opening the scoring. Diaz shielded the ball in the area and laid it off to Robertson, who crossed first time towards the six-yard line. Gakpo backpedalled, which isn’t easy to say after no pints, before straining his neck muscles to generate as much power as possible in the header. It swerved away from the motionless Petrovic and bounced off the far post.

39 min “As a Liverpool fan I’m pretty much fuming about another injury,” says Neil Hattersley. “This was preventable by the ref actually taking control of the game and getting a yellow card out for any of the three bookable Chelsea fouls that preceded it.”

I’d agree with that. Chilwell should certainly have been booked early on, probably Caicedo as well. Can’t remember the other one.

37 min Now it’s Chelsea who are looking dangerous. Sterling, on the left, plays in the underlapping Gallagher, who screws the ball back towards Palmer on the six-yard line. Robertson slides in front of him to make a vital interception.

36 min “Refereeing eh?” says Niall Mullen. “Studs on ankle used to be a red. Then they weren’t. Then they were. I dunno anymore.”

Has it ever been a red card when it’s that low? I can’t remember a time when players were consistently sent off for a challenge like Caicedo’s, but then most of my memory bank is taken up with dinners from the 1990s.

My instinct was that it should have been a yellow card, though I make no claim to expertise or certainty.

NO GOAL! The offside lines show that Jackson was just – and I mean just – beyond Konate when Palmer played the ball to him.

Palmer played a good pass down the right to Jackson, who calmly slid the ball across for Sterling to score at the far post. Jackson looked offside to the naked eye but the first replay suggests Konate was probably playing him on.

32 min The game has been more even in the last 10-15 minutes, and as I type Raheem Sterling has a goal disallowed. Hang on, this might be onside.

31 min “The last League Cup final that stands out in my memory is 2013’s,” writes Kári Tulinius. “It was a problem free day for Swansea, but they played so well that it’s stuck in my head. Cardiff v Liverpool, the year before, was a humdinger, and as an Arsenal fan, the 2011 final is one I’ve unsuccessfully tried to forget.”

28 min Gomez has gone to right-back, with Conor Bradley moving to right wing and Harvey Elliott dropping into midfield.

27 min: Liverpool substitution Joe Gomez replaces Ryan Gravenberch, who is bweing stretchered off. He doesn’t look in agony, so you’d imagine it’s ligament damage. Klopp is still chuntering at allcomers, particularly the referee Chris Kavanagh. It wasn’t a red card but Caicedo should certainly have been booked.

25 min Klopp is fuming, and you can understand why. The replay shows that Caicedo stood on Gravenberch’s foot, which twisted nastily at the point of contact. They’re bringing a stretcher on now and Joe Gomez is getting ready to come on. Maybe Conor Bradley will go into midfield. Liverpool really are down to the bare bones.

I thought the referee hadn’t given a free-kick but in fact he played the advantage for Liverpool.

24 min Caicedo gets away with an unpleasant challenge on Gravenberch, who is rolling round in pain. The referee didn’t give a free-kick; Jurgen Klopp thinks it should have been a foul and at least a yellow card.

23 min Often those point-blank saves look great, when in reality the striker has leathered the ball straight at the keeper. I’d want to see a replay to be sure but I’m pretty sure Palmer wasn’t guilty of that. It looked an exceptional save.

20 min: Marvellous save by Kelleher! How on earth has he stopped that? Gallagher’s cross from the right was miscontrolled at the far post by Sterling, who would have had a great chance with a surer first touch. Bradley challenged him six yards out and the ball bounced across to Palmer, who looked 99.94 per cent to score. He hammered the ball with his left foot – but Kelleher dived to his left to keep it out and Liverpool forced the rebound to safety. That’s an extraordinary save.

19 min Bradley, who has started fearlessly, moves forward with intent and has a shot from 25 yards that is blocked by Enzo.

16 min Liverpool’s pressing so far has been terrific. Bradley robs Chilwell just outside the area and is sent flying; Chilwell is very lucky not to be booked for that.

14 min Petrovic makes two saves in 30 seconds. The first was comfortable enough, from Mac Allister’s long-range effort; the second was a good stop low to his right when Diaz drilled a shot from 15 yards.

The chance came when Disasi slipped while trying to play out from the back, a problem that never befell John Beck’s Cambridge.

13 min Chilwell’s free-kick from the left is headed away to Gusto 25 yards out. He cracks a volley that comes through a crowd and is comfortably held by Kelleher.

Liverpool break and Diaz has a shot blocked after playing a good one-two with Gravenberch.

12 min Liverpool have been much the better team so far. “Chelsea are like a box of frogs,” says Gary Neville on Sky.

Palmer gets on the ball for the first time, moving into the area before sliding a pass that is cut out by Van Dijk. Chelsea regain possession and Gusto wins their first corner. Kelleher punches it away.

9 min Robertson’s deep early cross is headed towards goal by the backpedalling Diaz and saved comfortably, even nonchalantly, by Petrovic. The man behind him, Gakpo I think, was in a much better position.

8 min Mac Allister’s free-kick is missed by the lunging Disasi, who is relieved to see Konate penalised for handball beyond the far post. Chelsea look slightly nervous.

7 min Mac Allister’s free-kick is headed away, but then Caicedo fouls Endo 25 yards from goal. It’s too wide for a shot, so the big men are coming forward.

6 min Colwill tries to bring the ball out from the back, overruns it and then wipes out Mac Allister with a Sunday-league challenge. He might have been booked for that. Free-kick to Liverpool on the right wing…

5 min It’s been a cagey start, with no incidents of note. Don’t tweet the messenger.

3 min No funky tactics from either manager. Conor Gallagher is playing further forward than Caicedo and Enzo for Chelsea; Endo is the deepest of the Liverpool midfield.

1 min Peep peep! Alexis Mac Allister has the first kick of the 2024 Carabao Cup final. Liverpool are kicking from right to left as we watch.

The players line up for all the pre-match guff. It’s a dank old day at Wembley, so they’ll be happy when they can start running around.

Some fella, presumably from Carabao, is introduced to the players.. Then he whips out his phone to take a selfie with Jurgen Klopp, who smiles with admirable tolerance. If only Roy Keane was Liverpool manager.

And so does Mauricio Pochettino

It’s a great achievement to reach a final and it’s nice to be here. But now it’s about the win. There’s no other way to think. I think we are better [than at Anfield]. We arrive here in a very good moment and now we need to translate that onto the pitch.

Jurgen Klopp speaks to Sky Sports

You can never take [playing in a major final] for granted and I never will. These occasions are very special. So many teams started the competition and wanted to be here – we made it and that’s great. Now we’re here, we’ll give it a try.

Chelsea had good results before we faced them and after we faced them. We caused them more problems than they thought and that’sthe plan for today.

“I’m racking my brains for the last memorable League Cup final,” writes Niall Mullen. “Maybe the (Perry) Groves one, or when Oxford won the Milk Cup? Obviously Tony Adams dropping Stephen Morrow is unforgettable but the game itself was something of a dud in my recollection.”

I’d say the last truly great final was Luton 3-2 Arsenal in 1988, though I’d argue there have been plenty of memorable ones since then. Then again, I recall what I ate for dinner for on 21 April 1999 so perhaps my idea of memorable isn’t entirely representative.

Chelsea have plenty of injuries of their own, even if their list isn’t quite as bad as Liverpool’s. You can create a seriously good combined XI from the players who are unavailable today.

Chiverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; James, Matip, Fofana, Cucurella; Alexander-Arnold, Lavia, Szoboszlai; Salah, Jota, Nunez.
Substitutes: Thiago Alcantara, Badiashile, Jones, Chukwuemeka, Thiago Silva, Ugochukwu, Bajcetic, Doak.

Pre-match reading

Team news: no Salah or Nunez for Liverpool

Preamble