2024 Carabao Cup Final: Chelsea v Liverpool

The two Premier League heavyweights are set to come face to face in the final of this historic competition under the arch at Wembley Stadium in late February 2024.

After successfully navigating themselves through the competition, Chelsea and Liverpool were able to win their respective Carabao Cup Semi-Finals to secure a place under the arch at the iconic Wembley Stadium in the 2024 Carabao Cup Final. This showpiece occasion in the capital is set to be played on Sunday, 25th February 2024.

Between them, the Blues and the red side of Merseyside have won no less than 14 wins in this competition between them over the years. It is Liverpool who have won this trophy the most times out of these two clubs with 9 wins in comparison to 5 for their West London rivals.

Liverpool have won this trophy in: 1981 (2 – 1 vs. West Ham United, Replay), 1982 (3 – 1 vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Extra Time), 1983 (2 – 1 vs. Manchester United, Extra Time), 1984 (1 – 0 vs. Everton, Replay), 1995 (2 – 1 vs. Bolton Wanderers), 2001 (1 – 1, 5 – 4 on penalties vs. Birmingham City), 2003 (2 – 0 vs. Manchester United), 2012 (2 – 2, 3 – 2 on penalties vs. Cardiff City) and in 2022 (0 – 0, 11 – 10 on penalties vs. Chelsea).

The Reds have also been runners-up in: 1978 (1 – 0 vs. Nottingham Forest, Replay), 1987 (2 – 1 vs. Arsenal), 2005 (3 – 2 vs. Chelsea) and in 2016 (1 – 1, 3 – 1 on penalties vs. Manchester City).

Interestingly, Liverpool beat Chelsea to win their most recent Carabao Cup, but the Blues beat them in their only other meeting in the League Cup Final back in 2005.

Moving on to the Blues, they have won the Carabao Cup in: 1965 (3 – 2 vs. Leicester City), 1998 (2 – 0 vs. Middlesbrough), 2005 (3 – 2 vs. Liverpool, Extra Time), 2007 (2 – 1 vs. Arsenal) and in 2015 (2 – 0 vs. Tottenham Hotspur).

Chelsea have been runners-up in this competition several times: in 1972 (2 – 1 vs. Stoke City), 2008 (2 – 1 vs. Spurs), 2019 (0 – 0, 4 – 3 on penalties vs. Manchester City) and in 2022 (0 – 0, 11 – 10 on penalties vs. Liverpool).

Both of these football clubs have had to fend off teams from various levels on the English football pyramid. Starting with Liverpool, they entered the 2023/24 edition of this competition with a third round tie against Championship club Leicester City.

The Foxes, 2016 Premier League Champions and three-time winners of the League Cup, were beaten 3 – 1 by Jurgen Klopp’s Reds at Anfield. Cody Gakpo (48’), Dominik Szoboszlai (70’) and Diogo Jota (89’) were all on the scoresheet for the home side that day. Kasey McAteer scored the solitary Leicester goal with just three minutes having elapsed in the contest (3’).

Bournemouth were up next in the round of 16, and Andoni Iraola’s side were beaten 2 – 1 at the Vitality Stadium on the South Coast. Cody Gakpo (31’) gave the Reds the lead before Justin Kluivert equalised for the Cherries midway through the second half (64’). Darwin Nunez scored soon after to win the game for Liverpool with 20 minutes to go (70’).

Liverpool were then drawn against David Moyes’ West Ham United in the Quarter Finals of the 2023/24 Carabao Cup. In the end, it was to be an emphatic and ruthless 5 – 1 victory for the Reds at Anfield, with the home side scoring through Dominik Szoboszlai (28’), Curtis Jones (56’, 84’), Cody Gakpo (71’) and Mohamed Salah (82’). Jarrod Bowen was the scorer of the Hammers’ only goal of the contest late on in the second half, just before Salah got Liverpool’s fourth goal (77’).

Jurgen Klopp’s team then faced a two-legged Carabao Cup Semi-Final tie against fellow Premier League club in the form of Marco Silva’s Fulham. It was to be a 2 – 1 comeback victory in the first leg, with Liverpool winning 2 – 1 thanks to Curtis Jones (68’) and Cody Gakpo (71’). Ex-Chelsea forward Willian had given the Cottagers the lead early in the first half (19’).

The second leg at Craven Cottage was a 1 – 1 draw. Colombian forward gave the Reds the lead with just over 10 minutes of the contest gone before Fulham’s French central defender Issa Diop scored the equalising goal on the night later on in the second half (76’).

That was Liverpool’s journey to the 2024 Carabao Cup Final, lets now take a look back at Chelsea’s run to this showpiece occasion at Wembley.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues entered at the second round, where they were drawn against League Two club AFC Wimbledon at Stamford Bridge. James Tilley gave the Dons the lead from the penalty spot (19’) before Noni Madueke restored parity with a penalty kick of his own (45+1’). Enzo Fernandez then scored the winning goal with just under twenty minutes of the contest remaining (72’).

Then, in the third round of the 2023/24 Carabao Cup, Chelsea were drawn against fellow Premier League club Brighton, who are led by their Italian Head Coach Robert De Zerbi. It was a 1 – 0 victory for the Blues, who scored the only goal of the game thanks to summer signing Nicolas Jackson in the early stages of the second half (50’).

Championship club Blackburn Rovers were next up in the Carabao Cup Quarter Finals in early November 2023. It was a comfortable 2 – 0 victory in the end for the West London Club at Stamford Bridge, with Benoit Badiashile (30’) and Raheem Sterling (59’) finding the back of the Rovers net either side of half time.

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United were Chelsea’s opponents at Stamford Bridge in the Quarter Final. Callum Wilson gave the Magpies the lead early in the first half before Mykhailo Mudryk scored a dramatic equalising goal to restore parity in the game in second-half stoppage time (90+2’). Chelsea won 4 – 2 on penalty kicks.

Chelsea lost 1 – 0 to a Hayden Hackney goal (37’) in the first leg of the Carabao Cup Semi-Final at the Riverside Stadium. Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues won 6 – 1, with Enzo Fernandez (29’), Axel Disasi (36’), Cole Palmer (42’, 77’) and Noni Madueke on the Blues scoresheet alongside a Jonny Howson own goal that opened the scoring early on in the first half (15’). Morgan Rogers scored a consolation goal with just a few minutes of the second half remaining (88’).

This, of course, set up a 2024 Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Chelsea, and a first in this competition since Liverpool beat Chelsea 11 – 10 on penalties in the 2022 Final at Wembley Stadium.

Overall, Liverpool and Chelsea have met just 9 times in the history of the League Cup (known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons. Both clubs have 4 wins each in matches between them in this competition, with the only draw being a 1 – 1 stalemate on 20th January 2015. This draw led to a 1 – 0 Chelsea win in the second leg of the 2015 semi-final.

For now, both clubs will have to focus on their respective FA Cup Fourth Round ties. Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea face an Aston Villa side led by Spanish Head Coach Unai Emery at Stamford Bridge on Friday, 26th January 2024, in a 19:45 Kick-Off.

As for Liverpool, they have been drawn against Championship club Norwich City at Anfield in the Fourth Round of the 2023/24 FA Cup. The game is set to be played on Sunday, 28th January 2024, in a 14:30 Kick Off.

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