Chelsea and Liverpool Face Off in EFL Cup Final at Wembley

Chelsea and Liverpool meet at Wembley (Reuters)

Chelsea and Liverpool took to the field to play the final of the EFL Cup, one of the national titles in England at Wembley. With the Argentines Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister as figures on both sides, the Blues and Reds tied zero to zero in the legendary British stadium.

During the first ten minutes, both teams failed to stand out. The team led by Jurgen Klopp sought to control the game in opponent territory, counting on Mac Allister as a creator of opportunities. At 12 minutes, the Argentine made the first goal attempt for Liverpool with a long-range shot that was stopped by Petrovic. On the next play, an error by Disasi gave Luis Diaz, the Colombian, a clear opportunity to score, but his shot was effectively blocked by the Serbian goalkeeper.

Despite Liverpool’s dominance in the game, Chelsea had a chance to take the lead before the half-hour mark. However, Caoimhín Kelleher, the Red goalkeeper, stood out by saving two shots inside the six-yard box, taken by Palmer and Gallagher.

This moment boosted Chelsea, who intensified their offensive and, in the 32nd minute, were about to open the scoring. After a maneuver on the right flank, Jackson broke away from his mark and assisted Sterling, who managed to send the ball into the back of the net. However, the Senegalese player was determined to be in an advanced position through the VAR, disallowing the goal.

In the last five minutes of the first half, Cody Gakpo created the most dangerous chance for Liverpool with a header that hit the post. The play left the rival goalkeeper without the possibility of reacting.

At the end of the first half there was a clash between players from both teams (Reuters)

Things are not going well at all for those led by Mauricio Pochettino, who receives questions daily about Chelsea’s progress. The team is in tenth place in the Premier League table and, although it has just achieved a valuable draw away from Manchester City, one of its last defeats was precisely against Liverpool (4-1 at home). It was on January 31 that Klopp’s team won with goals from Diogo Jota, Conor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Díaz (Christopher Nkunku discounted).

“It is a club that has to try to win everything. That’s what it demands. That’s why I came here. I want to continue winning things in my career. Winning this competition at Wembley would be really important. I want to win it, but it’s not just for me. I want to win it with this group. The group deserves this title because it has not always been easy during the last 18 months,” stated Enzo Fernández, who will have his senior debut at the English stadium, in the preview.

For his part, Mac Allister, who is on a roll after playing the last five official matches with his team, contributing a goal and two assists, intends to win his first title since arriving in Europe. The same goes for his coach, who has already announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season, so he is betting big on three fronts: in addition to starring in this final, he leads the Premier League and will face the round of 16 of the FA Cup against Southampton (Chelsea will do the same against Leeds United).

To reach this stage, Pochettino’s men eliminated AFC Wimbledon (2-1), Brighton (1-0), Blackburn Rovers (2-0), Newcastle (4-2 on penalties after 1-1 in regulation time) and Middlesbrough (6-2 overall). Meanwhile, German Klopp’s men got rid of Leicester (3-1), Bournemouth (2-1), West Ham (5-1) and Fulham (3-2 on aggregate).

There is a recent precedent that had them as protagonists in the same instance and scenario: it was for the final of the 2021/2022 League Cup, when Liverpool won 11-10 in the penalty shootout against Chelsea after drawing without goals in regulatory time. These rivals have recorded a total of 195 clashes, with 65 wins for the Blues, 81 for the Reds and 49 draws.

Furthermore, the event will mean one or the other repositioning themselves in the historical table of titles: Liverpool is the top winner with 9 trophies, while Chelsea accumulates 5 and could reach Manchester United on the podium.

Trainings:

Chelsea: Petrovic- M. Gusto, A.Disasi, L. Colwill, B. Chiwell- M. Caicedo, E. Fernandez, C. Palmer, C. Gallagher, R. Sterling- N. Jackson

Liverpool: C. Kelleher- C. Bradley, I. Konate, V. Van Dijk, A. Robertson- W. Endo, A. Mac Allister, R. Gravenberch- H. Elliot, C. Gakpo, L. Diaz

Stadium: Wembley

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

Will be televised: ESPN and Star+

2024-02-25 15:22:10
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