Díaz strike sends Reds to Wembley
Fulham 1 Liverpool 1, 24th January 2024.
FULHAM 1 (Diop 76)
LIVERPOOL 1 (Díaz 11)
Liverpool win 3–2 on aggregate
So for the second time in three seasons the Reds of Liverpool will face off with their old friends and foes from the Kings Road in Chelsea for the right to lift that beautiful three handled Georgian urn trophy high into a Wembley night sky on 25th February and for 75 minutes, their participation in English football’s first Wembley showpiece final of the season never looked in any doubt. Luis Díaz’s 11th minute strike that rather embarrassed Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno at his near post simply extended their first leg lead of 2–1 and with the home team nervously sloppy in possession and gifting the Reds plenty of the ball in all areas of the field, an impressive Reds team “managed the game” throughout a carefree first half of football to be just 45 minutes away from the Carabao League Cup Final.
The home team “Cottagers” were undoubtedly far better after the half-time break with Andreas Pereira rattling the Reds goal frame on 53 minutes, but this was the exception rather than the rule until the introduction of ex Liverpool Red Harry Wilson from the substitutes bench. Wilson gave Fulham an extra body in midfield as well as an attacking intent and invention that led to their equalising goal from Issa Diop on 76 minutes and after he’d finished with his unseemly running battle with Reds striker Diogo Jota. His deft finish was sublime and far away from his niggling tussle with Jota that threatened to boil over before his goal set up a rather nervy final 15 minutes for a Liverpool team cruising to a late February date once more with old adversaries Chelsea at Wembley. With Wilson dragging his team further up field in search of an aggregate equalising goal, his fine long range drive on 79 minutes was perhaps his team’s high watermark in their search for a goal that would have seen the team’s enduring a further period of extra-time that thankfully wasn’t required and “Wembley, Wembley. We’re the greatest team in Europe and we’re going to Wembley” rang out loud and proud from the “Away” end from an otherwise now flat Craven Cottage.
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Aside from reaching the first final of the season, there were so many positives to be gleaned from an otherwise comfortable night on the banks of London’s River Thames. Caoimhin Kelleher had no chance with the Fulham goal and apart from flapping for a high ball that eventually saw Pereira rapping his goal post on 53 minutes, the Irishman was rock solid all evening. In front of him stood tall impressive “cigars and slippers” displays from his captain Virgil van Dijk and Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez again excelled in his emergency role at left-back and 20 year old Conor Bradley impressed once more as he dealt with the twin attacking threats of Antonee Robinson and Brazilian veteran Willian. Harvey Elliott was only just shaded to the “Man of the Match” award by goalscorer Luis Díaz. Ryan Gravenberch was industrious in a display belying his tender 21 years once again. Darwin Núñez was inches away on 57 and 63 minutes from a goal his performance merited and 18 year old Bobby Clark shored up the midfield brilliantly during Fulham’s end game assault for an aggregate equalising goal their overall performance didn’t quite warrant.
“Wembley, Wembley. We’re the greatest team in Europe and we’re going to Wembley”.
A final word from The Boss
“I liked our first 30 minutes, really a lot. We were just ready for this game, that’s the most important thing. I heard Marco Silva’s press conference yesterday and I love it. I respect him so much, that’s why I had a look at it: when you see he said it is the most important game, maybe of the season, and stuff like this. They want to go for the final and all these kind of things and I know what it means to them. I told the boys I know what it means to us, but we have to show it to the outside world, that we want it as much as they want it. I saw that”.
“After half an hour, we had scored one goal and I think we could have scored a second one, the game opens up slightly. We go to half-time, wanted to play more football, wanted to control the game more again. Then they came out and they press for a while, but we understood the game slightly better. I liked the second half as well. We should’ve scored, there were two situations: I think the counter-attack… everything was perfect and then Lucho doesn’t find the right player, which was a little bit of a shame, and when Harvey could shoot with his slightly weaker right foot. We could’ve put the game to bed, but we didn’t. Then 1–1, Harry Wilson, another Liverpool boy in a really good moment to be honest, and then you have to bring it over the line and we did. It feels great, we are really happy. The dressing room was really happy, the boys wanted it, the boys got it and now we have, I don’t know, 10 games to play until the final in four weeks or so, so a few games coming up before that, but we are looking forward to Wembley, definitely”.
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