History is on Liverpool’s side when they host Fulham in the League Cup at Anfield, but it is important that they take the lead in London for the second leg.
Liverpool is the leader of the Premier League, has just beaten Arsenal in the FA Cup and has a favorable draw in the League Cup.
Anfield should be rowdy to help ensure Liverpool get ahead at the start of the tie, with a tough second leg against Fulham still to come.
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Only once have Liverpool won a semi-final first leg in this competition and not progressed to the final. That happened in 1998, when they beat second division side Middlesbrough at Anfield, before losing 2-0 in the second leg.
Liverpool have not scored more than one goal in any of their last eight League Cup semi-final first legs.
In the previous 18 League Cup semi-finals, they have won nine first legs, drawn three and lost five. Three of those five first-leg defeats were enough to prevent the club from reaching the final.
Liverpool have played the first leg at Anfield eight times and are undefeated, with six wins and two draws.
Liverpool have only lost one of the 17 semi-final first legs they have played at Anfield in any competition: they lost 1-0 to Leeds in the 1970/71 Fairs Cup.
This is Liverpool’s 19th League Cup semi-final, a record in the competition, and they have won a record 13 of the previous 18.
If the Reds advance further, they will play the best 14th final of the competition. They have lifted the trophy nine times, more than any other team.
using the squad
Jurgen Klopp has used 96 players in this competition since taking charge in 2015. Caoimhin Kelleher and Joe Gomez, each with 12, have made more appearances for Liverpool in the League Cup than any current Reds player.
Cody Gakpo has scored in three consecutive League Cup games. The last man to do so for the club, four games in a row in the competition, was Vladimir Smicer in the 2000/01 campaign, one of which was against Fulham.
This will be the 26th time in the last 36 domestic cup ties that Liverpool will face a Premier League opponent.
Harvey Elliott was Fulham’s youngest Premier League player, aged 16 years and 30 days, when he debuted in an away defeat to Wolves in May 2019. He made three appearances for the Cottagers, all as a substitute.
Great from the place
This season is the first in which Fulham have participated in two penalty shoot-outs in the same campaign, defeating Tottenham and Everton.
They have scored 12 of 13 penalties taken in shoot-outs this season, the only one that missed was Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s in the win over Everton.
Fulham are playing in the semi-final of a major national competition for the seventh time, but this will be their first in the League Cup.
No Fulham player has ever scored a winning goal at Anfield in front of the fans. Fulham are now the 60th team to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.
Marco Silva has faced Liverpool eight times as a coach. Fulham is the fourth different club he has managed against the Reds. His only victory came at the first attempt, when his Hull team, under Andy Robertson, won 2-0 at Humberside in February 2017.
This season’s scorers
Liverpool: Salah 18, Jota 9, Gakpo 8, Núñez 8, Díaz 6, Szoboszlai 4, Jones 3, Alexander-Arnold 2, Endo 2, Gravenberch 2, Elliott 1, Mac Allister 1, Quansah 1, Robertson 1, Van Dijk 1 , own goals 5
Fulham: De Cordova-Reid 5, Jiménez 5, Iwobi 4, Willian 4, Vinicius 3, Wilson 3, Cairney 2, Palhinha 2, Adarabioyo 1, Muniz Carvalho 1, Pereira 1, Ream 1, Tete 1, own goals 3
*Statistics courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).
