Already missing the Carabao Cup that has made your day stress-free and exciting for the past few months? But it all seems like a dream now, doesn’t it? But wake up to reality: The most thrilling and exciting Carabao Cup ended on February 25, 2024, between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool beat Chelsea to be crowned the 2024 Carabao Cup, as Virgil van Dijk netted in extra time to make it 1-0. The victory was an impressive and emotional moment for Liverpool, who have won the competition more than any other team and lifted the trophy for the 10th time, two years after their last triumph against the same opposition in 2022. Liverpool’s win was a testament to the team’s resilience and determination. Years from now, we will remember this moment. Liverpool’s victory was a fitting tribute to the club’s long and illustrious history.
In this article, we’ll share some memorable moments from the Carabao Cup final, including how the two teams battled and the reasons for Liverpool’s victory. Let’s get into this article.
The Final Journey
In this section, we discuss the entire process of how both teams enter the finals.
Chelsea
As everyone knows, Chelsea is not a member of any UEFA competition, but they entered the cup in the second round when they were drawn against EFL League Two club AFC Wimbledon. This match took place at Stamford Bridge on August 30, 2023. They scored 2-1, with assists from Noni Madueke and Enzo Fernández. The third round of the competition was played at Stamford Bridge against Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion on September 27, 2023. Nicolas Jackson’s first goal in the 50th minute led the team to victory. In the fourth round, they were at home against EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers, and this match took place on November 1, 2023. Chelsea successfully defeated Blackburn with a score of 2–0 with the help of Benoît Badiashile and Raheem Sterling.
Chelsea were again drawn at home for the fourth time in a row to 2023 Premier League club and finalists Newcastle United for the quarter-finals, and the match was played at Stamford Bridge on December 19, 2023. Once the match started, Newcastle held the lead. but a defensive error by Kieran Trippier led to an equalizer from Chelsea substitute Mykhail Mudryk, which took the game to a penalty shoot-out. Guess the result: Chelsea won 4-2 on penalties with a 100% conversion rate, with help from Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Christopher Nkunku, and Mudryk. While the semi-final was played over two legs, Chelsea played against EFL Championship club Middlesbrough, with the first leg being played away at the Riverside Stadium on January 9, 2024, with the result completely against Chelsea, with the opposition defeating them with a score of 1–0. The second match was played at Stamford Bridge on January 23, 2024, and Chelsea defeated the opposition with a score of 6-1.
Liverpool
Premier League club Liverpool entered the third round, where they faced EFL Championship club Leicester City at home. This match took place at Anfield on September 27, 2023. Liverpool won the match with a score of 3-1, and the notable players on the match day were Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Diogo Jota. In the fourth round, Liverpool went on the road to face fellow Premier League side Bournemouth, and the match took place at Dean Court on November 1, 2023. Also in this fourth round, Liverpool won by a score of 2-1 with Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez. With an eye on the quarter-finals, Liverpool returned home to face Premier League club West Ham United at Anfield on December 20, 2023.
On the day of the match, Liverpool produced a dominant performance on the pitch, winning the match 5-1 with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Cody Gakpo, and Mohamed Salah. Jones scored twice. As usual, they had to play two matches for the semi-finals. The first match was against Fulham at their home ground, Anfield, on January 10, 2024. The first half was a complete toss-up, but they performed phenomenally in the second half to win the match with a score of 2-1. The second match was played at Craven Cottage on January 24, 2024; unfortunately, the match ended in a 1-1 draw after Issa Diop canceled out Luis Diaz with a first-half strike. As a result, Liverpool broke the tie with a score of 3–2 and advanced to their second EFL Cup final in three seasons.
Pre-Match Period
This tournament was Chelsea’s 10th Carabao Cup final and Liverpool’s 14th. Before this meeting, the two teams met in 2005 and 2022, with Chelsea winning the first and Liverpool winning the second. Finally, in the third meeting, Liverpool is favored to win their second consecutive victory against Chelsea.
Summary of the Match
The match kicked off at 3 p.m. in front of over 88,868 people. In the opening 20 minutes, Chelese came close to opening the scoring after Cole Palmer saved in front of the goal from Caoimhin Kelleher before Nicolas Jackson’s next effort was thwarted by Wataru Endō. In the 32nd minute, Palmer played a pass to Jackson, who then played the ball from the right to Raheem Sterling, who was left to slot the ball into the net. Although the goal was first disallowed for offside by the assistant referee and then again by the video assistant referee after review, Jackson was in an offside position when he received the through ball. In the 40th minute, Liverpool came close to scoring after Andrew Robertson played a cross to Cody Gakpo, whose header deflected off the right post.
Following Robertson’s free-kick into Chelsea’s penalty area, Virgil van Dijk headed home Robertson’s free-kick in the 60th minute to give Liverpool the lead. However, the goal needed to be recognized by the referee’s video assistant. In the next act, the game went into overtime. Van Dijk headed past substitute Jayden Danns, whose header had to be headed by Dorde Petrovic. Late in extra time, Liverpool found a dramatic winner after Kostas Tsimikas’ corner from the right found its way onto the head of Van Dijk, who managed to guide the ball past Petrović into the left corner of the net. Despite Chelsea’s desperate late attempts to find a goal, Liverpool won 1-0 after extra time to secure their tenth EFL Cup and second in three seasons.
Conclusion
We hope this article provides useful information about the Carabao Cup Final. It was a big win for Liverpool and a testament to their determination and hard work all season. For more sports updates and news, you can check out our website.
