Neutral fans will be licking their lips at the prospect of Liverpool and Chelsea facing each other in the final of the Carabao Cup. The recently concluded Carabao Cup draw put the two heavyweights in the opposite semis.
Fulham will make the trip to Liverpool once again, having beaten Everton on penalties at the Goodison Park. This time, though, they’ll be up against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, who put West Ham to the sword in a 5-1 win.
In the other semi-final, Chelsea have been drawn against the only Championship side left in the competition, Middlesbrough. Boro put an end to Port Vale’s fairytale run in the quarters while Chelsea edged out Newcastle on penalties after the game had finished 1-1.
Here’s the official draw:
The two-legged semi-final will be played on the weeks commencing 8th January and 22nd January, 2024.
Semi-Final First Leg: 8th-9th January, 2024
Semi-Final Second Leg: 22nd-23rd January, 2024
Final: 24th February, 2024
Historic Performances
It’s a prospective repeat of the final from 2 years ago when Liverpool got the better off Chelsea on penalties to win their record 9th Carabao Cup. A game that had finished 0-0 needed the goalkeepers to take the penalties where Kelleher scored but Kepa missed his to hand Klopp’s men the trophy.
Liverpool are the most successful side in the tournament (9) while Chelsea have lifted the trophy on 5 occasions. Middlesbrough’s lone success came in 2003-04, but Fulham will be aiming to be called EFL Cup Champions for the first time in their history.