EFL Cup Final: Injury ravaged Liverpool stun Chelsea in dramatic Wembley final as Virgil van Dijk heads home late winner

Re-live the drama of the 64th EFL Cup Final as Virgil van Dijk netted a dramatic extra-time winner to help his side overcome Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Chelsea v Liverpool - LIVE

17:42
Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool - The ribbons are red!

Jurgen Klopp will bid farewell to Liverpool this summer with at least one medal around his neck!

The German and his young, injury ravaged side had to weather a severe storm to get through the 90 minutes, but my word, the young guns came good in extra-time, with Virgil van Dijk proving the match-winner just three minutes from the end of extra-time.

Chelsea look crestfallen; they know they have squandered a huge opportunity to kick-start the Mauricio Pochettino era.

The former Tottenham boss looks heartbroken - and rightly so - his side looked the big favourites as the match wore on, but it was Liverpool who came up with the decisive goal to capture the EFL Cup for a tenth time.

What a game, and what a night for Liverpool.

17:37
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool - Virgin van Dijk

Oh my word; this is incredible!

Liverpool have one hand on the EFL Cup as Virgil van Dijk strikes a dagger through the heart of Chelsea with a sublime glancing header, which flies past Petrovic and into the far corner.

Jurgen Klopp has had to contend with an ever-growing list of injury absentees, but his young guns look to have come good.

Unbelievable stuff - the Liverpool fans are in raptures, and so is Klopp.

17:35
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Elliott goes so close to scoring

Wow, how big a moment will that prove to be for Chelsea?

Harvey Elliott looked certain to put the Reds ahead with a far post header, before Blues stopper Petrovic produces a moment of brilliance to deny the Liverpool man from point-blank range.

Just four minutes of extra-time remains, and I can't imagine there is going to be a bigger opportunity to win the game than that.

What a save that was!

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17:29
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Wasteful Chelsea frustrating supporters

Mauricio Pochettino's men have certainly found themselves in some very good positions already this half, but they appear to be lacking ideas and a cutting edge when they get into the final third.

Mudryk and Nkunku the two most recent guilty parties after spurning possession when in dangerous areas, and you can hear the groans from the Blues fans inside Wembley Stadium.

They have a real opportunity here against a young, inexperienced Liverpool side - and they need to seize the initiative.

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17:22
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Half-Time (Extra-Time)

To Win the Trophy:
Chelsea - 4/5
Liverpool - 1/1

Method of Victory:
Chelsea in Extra-Time - 3/1
Chelsea on Penalties - 2/1
Liverpool in Extra-Time - 5/1
Liverpool on Penalties - 2/1

17:14
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - New kids on the block to strike lucky for Liverpool?

For many non-Liverpool supporters tuning into this afternoon's game, you'd be forgiven for wondering who a number of the players donning a red shirt are...

But such are the Reds' injury woes, a large number of Academy scholars have been included in the matchday squad.

Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jayden Danns have all taken to the field to freshen up the side, and could it be that one of those unfamiliar names proves the hero?

Extra-Time First Goalscorer:

Jayden Danns - 16/1
Bobby Clark - 25/1
James McConnell - 33/1

17:06
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - We're back underway...

Will we see a winner in extra-time?

Well, we are 9/4 that Chelsea can win this game without the need for penalties, and 15/4 that Liverpool can prevail.

It's 4/5 that the EFL Cup Final goes all the way to penalties.

17:00
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - We go to extra time...

Puzzlingly, we somehow go to extra time.

How this game has ended goalless is beyond me.

We've seen two disallowed goals, the woodwork rattled twice and Caoimhin Kelleher produce the 90 minutes of his life to keep a depleted Liverpool in the tie.

It's going to take something special to beat the Irish stopper in the next 30 minutes, you'd think!

But who, if anybody, will prove the match-winner for Chelsea - who are now 1/1 to lift the EFL Cup?

Next Goalscorer Odds:

Christopher Nkunku - 9/1
Cole Palmer - 9/1
Mykhailo Mudryk - 14/1

16:56
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Kelleher to the rescue once again!

This is quite remarkable... we said that another opportunity would present itself, and three came along at once!

Chelsea will be wondering what they have got to do to get their hands on the EFL Cup as Chrisopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer and Nkunko again see efforts somehow saved by Kelleher.

The Liverpool stopper is having the game of his life, and Mauricio Pochettino looks bewildered on the sidelines at as to how his side are not ahead.

Unbelievable stuff.

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16:52
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Is a dramatic late goal coming?

We're expecting at least six or seven minutes of injury time to be added on to the original 90, and both sides will fancy their chances of getting the job done before the end of regulation time.

Chelsea are now 8/1 to win the EFL Cup without the need for extra-time, whilst Liverpool are at 17/2.

There will be one final opportunity to win this you would think, but it will come down to whether it can be taken!

16:48
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Kelleher denies Gallagher late on

Huge moment!

Liverpool stopper Kelleher makes a sublime save to block Gallagher's goal-bound effort, but the Chelsea man should have done much better with that.

Once again, wonderful work on the right flank from Palmer, who picks out his teammate with a pinpoint pass, but he is unable to find a way past the superb Reds goalkeeper.

Kelleher has been outstanding this afternoon.

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16:43
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Card count reaches four...

Alexis Mac Allister and Ibrahima Kounate become the third and fourth players to find their way into Chris Kavanagh's notebook this afternoon, following on from the cautions handed out to Ben Chilwell and Conor Bradley earlier in the game.

You can get 6/5 on the match ending with Over 5.5 bookings.

16:38
Chelsea 0-0 - Gallagher rattles the post!

Goodness me, these two goals are living charmed lives, as Chelsea go so close to fashioning a late breakthrough.

Cole Palmer dances down the right flank, cuts inside and drills the ball across goal, which Conor Gallagher flicks towards the net, only to see it rattle the woodwork and bounce clear of danger.

That was agonisingly close for the Londoners.

Are we going to see a goal before 90 minutes or are we destined for extra-time?

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16:32
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Gakpo spurns a great chance

Oh, Cody Gakpo!!!

The Dutchman is presented with a wonderful opportunity 15-yards out after Luis Diaz storms forward and lays the ball into his path, but the Liverpool forward leans back and smashes the ball over the bar.

That was a real opening for the Reds, and he knows it.

Latest Full-Time Result odds:

Chelsea - 7/2
Draw - 8/11
Liverpool - 3/1

16:27
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Van Dijk goal ruled out!

Wow, more drama - just as Liverpool think they have taken the lead, VAR intervenes!

There was no doubt that Virgil van Dijk was onside when he expertly headed a deep free-kick beyond the outstretched Chelsea keeper, Petrovic, but the VAR team have spotted that Wataru Endo blocks off a Chelsea player whilst in an offside position.

Wow, you see those sort of incidents every week, and Klopp will be furious.

By the laws of the game however, Endo was affecting the game and is correctly judged to have been offside.

We remain goalless, and everything is still to play for!

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16:23
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Chelsea to keep another Wembley cleansheet?

Chelsea have kept cleansheets in each of their last two EFL Cup Finals, and we are currently 4/1 that they edge this year's final 1-0.

You can get 13/8 on the game ending in stalemate, and 2/1 on Liverpool prevailing 1-0.

16:19
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Special markets

We've got numerous 'special markets' live on site, including;

Match Shots on Target
Over 9.5 - 4/7
Under 9.5 - 5/4
(Current shots on target - 5)

Team Shots on Target
Chelsea - Over 3.5 - 4/5
(Current shots on target - 2)
Liverpool - Over 5.5 - 6/5
(Current shots on target - 3)

16:14
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Chelsea 7/4 to score first goal

It's been a quietish start to the second half, but you feel that Chelsea will be the stronger of the sides as the game wears on.

Liverpool are depleted and their bench looks incredibly inexperienced - Chelsea on the otherhand have a plethora of players to call upon as they try to steer the game in their direction.

The Blues are 7/4 to score first, with Liverpool slightly shorter at 5/4.

16:07
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Second Half

We're back underway at Wembley.

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15:52
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Half-Time

An eventful opening 45 minutes reaches its climax.

Both sides had opportunities to take the lead, with Cole Palmer forcing Caoimhin Kelleher into a sensation early save, before Raheem Sterling saw an effort chalked off for offside.

At the other end, Luis Diaz and Conor Bradley had opportunities whilst Cody Gakpo saw a header bounce back off the post.

The two sides cannot be separated in score line, and they can't be separated in the odds either - with both available at 4/5 to lift the trophy.

15:48
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Bradley & Chilwell cautioned

We have our first two bookings of the afternoon as Chris Kavanagh brandishes his yellow card to both Ben Chilwell and Conor Bradley.

The pair come together on the ground following a heavy challenge from the Chelsea defender, before players from both sides swarm in to protect their own team mate.

The referee has been lenient thus far, but he had no hesitation in flashing his card there, and rightly so.

Bradley is now 11/1 to be sent off this afternoon, with Chilwell at 12/1.

15:46
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Another Liverpool opportunity...

Half time is quickly approaching with the teams still deadlocked at Wembley.

Liverpool’s attacking players line up to take shots from inside the box but Chelsea hold their nerve and manage to keep the ball out before scooping it away from the danger zone.

Conor Bradley and Luis Diaz both will feel aggrieved not to have done better there!

This has been a thoroughly entertaining first half though neither side has managed to find the back of the net.

Will there be a goal before the break?

We are 11/1 that either side will take a lead into the half-time break.

15:41
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Robertson hits the post!

Oh, so close for Liverpool, as Cody Gakpo watches in anguish as his looping header clips the post and bounces away from danger.

The Dutchman did so well to guide Robertson's teasing centre towards goal, and with Petrovic beaten, the post comes to his, and his side's rescue.

I can't believe we are still goalless here - surely the goals will soon start to come!

15:40
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Pochettino's men on top

For the first time, Chelsea are favourites (9/11) to win the EFL Cup.

The Blues have been dominating the last 15 minutes of the game and have twice gone agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock.

Liverpool need to weather this storm and reassert themselves on the game, but you have to feel for Klopp whose side has been absolutely ravaged by injury.

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15:34
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - VAR intervene to deny Sterling opener!

What drama!

Chelsea counter Liverpool with sublime efficiency down the right flank and Raheem Sterling taps home Nicolas Jackson's cross to seemingly give the underdogs the lead.

However, the linesman's flag is raised immediately, and following a two-minute wait for VAR to clarify whether the goal should stand, we finally get confirmation that Jackson had strayed marginally offside as he tried to beat the Liverpool trap.

That was a lovely passage of play from the Londoners, who will be disappointed not to have been rewarded with the opening goal of the game.

A real warning sign for the Reds, however.

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15:26
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Caicedo lucky to escape punishment

Moises Caicedo is incredibly fortunate to escape at least a yellow card as he leaves Ryan Gravenberch in a heap!

It doesn't look great for the Dutchman, who looks as though his race is run this afternoon. What a shame, and what a blow for Klopp, who is already without a huge number of his star performers.

Gravenberch is stretchered off, and Joe Gomez replaces him.

I'm not quite sure how the referee missed that one!

Klopp is understandably incandescent on the touchline.

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15:21
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - What a save from Kelleher

Wow, out of nowhere Chelsea very nearly take the lead.

Chelsea break up the pitch after feeding the ball across to Conor Gallagher on the right side. He curls a low pass across the box and picks out Raheem Sterling on the run.

Sterling can’t control the ball but it bounces into the path of Cole Palmer who rattles one at goal only for Caoimhim Kelleher to leap to his left and stop the ball with his body.

Massive save from the Liverpool goalkeeper.

How crucial could it be come the end of the match?

15:14
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - High-octane start continues

Liverpool are really upping the ante now as they search for the opening goal of the game.

Diaz has been a constant nuisance to the Chelsea backline and he tries to do a tad too much after being freed down the left, before he sees a thumping effort well dealt with by the Blues 'keeper a few minutes later.

Alexis Mac Allister also warmed the hands of Petrovic with a stinging effort from 25-yards.

Liverpool fans will be hugely enthused by their side's start to the game. They are now 5/4 to win in 90 minutes, with Chelsea 9/4.

15:09
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - The first opportunity falls to Liverpool

Certainly not the clearest opportunity, but still, Liverpool asking the early questions as Luis Diaz loops a header towards goal which is comfortably saved.

Andrew Robertson cutting a lively figure down the left flank, and manages to pick out his team mate with a deep ball into the box, but the forward sees his header dealt with by goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

Diaz is 8/1 to net the first goal in today's final.

15:07
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool - Meaty challenges flying in already

There have already been one or two meaty challenges during the initial exchanges as both sets of players look to gain a stranglehold on proceedings.

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have both launched in already, but neither have found their way into the official's notebook just yet.

You sense that there could be a few cards being brandished today...

We're 6/5 on Over six or more (Over 5.5) being shown and 8/13 on five or less (Under 5.5).

15:00
Chelsea v Liverpool is underway

Referee Chris Kavanagh gets the action underway.

Let's hope for a cracking, goal-fuelled affair between two of English football's real heavyweights.

14:52
Here come the teams...

What an atmosphere swirling around Wembley Stadium as both sets of supporters make themselves heard.

The teams are in the tunnel, making their way out on to the field and we are just minutes away from kick-off.

Five goals were scored the last time the teams met in January, but in the five games prior only two were scored.

Are we in for a goal-fest or will it be a tentative, nervy affair?

We are 3/1 that we see five or more goals for a second time in the space of a month and 27/20 that we see two or under.

It's 16/1 to end goalless (after 90 minutes).

14:39
Dan Childs' Chelsea v Liverpool tips

Under 1.5 Liverpool goals @ 5/6

Liverpool have been free-scoring in the Premier League, netting 63 goals in 26 matches, but injuries to their front line could affect their ability to hurt Chelsea.

An understrength Liverpool side blitzed Luton on Wednesday but the Reds are facing a tougher challenge against Chelsea, who resisted superbly for large parts of last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City.

They were 4-1 winners at home to Chelsea last month but they have often struggled to break down the Blues rear-guard.

The Reds have scored less than two goals in seven of their last nine meetings with Chelsea, so a wager on them to score under 1.5 goals at Wembley is worth considering at 5/6.

Raheem Sterling to score any time @ 13/5

Raheem Sterling returned to haunt Manchester City last Saturday by scoring in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad and he will be eager to make an impact against another former employer, Liverpool, at Wembley.

Sterling has had a mixed season but he took his goal superbly at the Etihad and will pose a major threat to Liverpool.

The 29-year-old will be feeling confident and he looks an overpriced 10/3 shot to get on the scoresheet.

READ MORE: EFL Cup Final - Chelsea v Liverpool: Tips, Predictions and Odds

14:31
Chelsea v Liverpool Bet Boosts >>

We've BOOSTED prices on a number of markets ahead of today's 15:00 kick-off, including;

Score with a Header
Virgin van Dijk
Was 18/1 >> Now 20/1

Bet Builder
Both Teams to Score - Yes
Cole Palmer to Score Anytime
Chelsea to Lift the Trophy
Was 11/2 >> Now 6/1

Score Outside the Box
Cole Palmer
Was 14/1 >> Now 16/1

Bet Builder
Harvey Elliott - Over 0.5 Shots on Target
Luis Diaz - Over 0.5 Shots on Target
Liverpool to Lift the Trophy
Was 15/4 >> Now 9/2

View the latest pre-match Bet Boosts >>

14:25
Jurgen Klopp 33/1 to sign off in style

So, the Jurgen Klopp farewell tour takes in Wembley Stadium this afternoon as the German bids to land the first major domestic trophy of the campaign.

We have priced Liverpool up at 33/1 to win all four competitions that they remain involved in this season; Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and, of course, the EFL Cup.

It would be a poignant way for the Anfield favourite to depart the club wouldn't it?

They are 9/2 to not win a single trophy between now and the end of the season and 4/1 to record a domestic cup double (FA Cup and EFL Cup).

How many titles are you backing them to capture before the end of the campaign?

14:22
Big shift in the odds after Salah news

Liverpool were the huge favourites a couple of weeks ago, but now, just over 30 minutes away from kick-off, the odds have significantly tightened.

Liverpool remain the favourites at 11/8, but Chelsea are available at an appealing 15/8 to take advantage of Liverpool's injury woes.

Let's not forget that the Reds won this fixture in emphatic fashion when the two sides last met in the Premier League, but today's game looks like it will be a far tighter affair.

Will Liverpool make it a perfect 10 EFL Cup triumphs, are will Mauricio Pochettino land the Londoners a sixth crown?

We don't have long to wait to find out.

14:15
Palmer, Gakpo & Diaz 8/1 for man of the match award

So, following the news that Mo Salah has been ruled out of the EFL Cup Final through injury, we've priced three players up as joint 18/1 favourites to land the coveted man of the match award.

Cole Palmer, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz have all been priced up at 8/1 to produce a star turn at Wembley Stadium, with a plethora of other players at slightly longer odds, including Enzo Fernandez.

View the latest odds

14:05
Chelsea v Liverpool - Team News

Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai were all to be given late fitness tests ahead by Liverpool ahead of the final but have all failed to make the squad for the final.

The Reds were already without Curtis Jones, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota - Chelsea will be licking their lips!

Liverpool: Kelleher, Endo, Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz, Mac Allister, Gakpo, Elliott, Robertson, Gravenberch, Bradley. Subs: Adrian, Gomez, Tsimikas, Clark, McConnell, Koumas, Danns, Quansah, Nyoni.

Chelsea: Petrovic, Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell, Caicedo, Enzo, Gallagher, Palmer, Jackson, Sterling. Subs: Sanchez, Bettinelli, Chalobah, Gee, Gilchrist, Tauriainen, Madueke, Mudryk, Nkunku.

Player of the Match odds

Mohamed Salah unsurprisingly heads the betting for the Player of the Match ahead of the EFL Cup final, but with so many question marks around player availability on both sides, is there value to be found further down the market?

We've taken a look at some of the previous winners and who could win the Alan Hardaker Trophy on Sunday.

Previous meetings

The 2024 EFL Cup final isn't the first time these two sides have met or indeed the second time, with Chelsea and Liverpool facing off in 2005 and 2020.

The 2020 meeting was hardly a classic, though it was settled after an epic penalty shootout with 22 spot-kicks taken, but the 2005 showpiece features in our five greatest EFL Cup final moments with Steven Gerrard's own goal and Jose Mourinho's sending off, as Chelsea came from 1-0 down to win 3-2 after extra-time.