Liverpool are without Trent Alexander-Arnold for tonight's semi final 1st leg at Anfield, although Virgil van Dijk could be in line to return to the starting XI after illness.
The reds are chasing a 10th League Cup win and assistant boss Pep Ljinders was the man facing the cameras in the pre-match press conferences.
"I think the team has this hunger," he said. It's the closest final we can reach.
"But we have to respect Fulham. They have a very clear way, a good offensive idea, really creative."
Liverpool were narrow 4-3 winners over Fulham at Anfield in the league late last year, requiring two goals in the final 10 minutes to avoid defeat.
The second leg will be played at Craven Cottage on the 24th January.
As it happened...
Liverpool have 9 League Cup trophies in their collection. All collected in the last 43 seasons. They have finished runners up 5 times. This is the 20th time they have reached the semi-final, and they have a record of 14-5 in advancing to the final from here.
Whilst a return to the Champions League will have been the main pre-season plan for the reds, a 10th League Cup title will be a nice addition for England's most succesful football club.
Conor Bradley in for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Kelleher, Gomez, Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz, Mac Allister, Jones, Elliott, Jota, Gravenberch, Bradley.
Subs: Alisson, Nunez, Gakpo, Clark, Gordon, McConnell, Beck, Quansah, Nyoni.
And it's the same number of changes for Fulham who bring Bernd Leno, Robinson, Willian, Palinha and Raul Jimenez into their starting XI.
Leno, Castagne, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson, Palhinha, Reed, De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian, Jiménez
Subs: Rodak, Tete, Lukic, Francois, Wilson, Cairney, Muniz, Vinicius, Ream
Underway at Anfield!
6' Strong strike from Curtis Jones from the edge of the area but Leno gets down low and stops that well.
8' Conor Bradley does well to get down the line and flicks it back across the penalty area. Keeper gets to that but it's a warning for Fulham that Bradley is a full back who is going to try and get forward tonight.
16' Lovely Liverpool move ends with Diogo Jota playing a shot, from a tight angle, that cuts across the face of the goal.
Fulham fans strangely booing every touch by Harvey Elliott. Elliott played for their academy and left when he was 16 years old!
19' Willian makes it 1-0 with effectively their first chance. It was a mistake from van Dijk that allowed Fulham to play the pass and Willian dances through and shoots from six yards out.
One chance one goal for the away team.
22' Elliott fires over from close range. Wouldn't have counted anyway. Offside flag goes up.
27' Virgil van Dijk booked as his hand catches Andreas Pereira. Absolute ridiculous play-acting by the Fulham player who is rolling around as if he has been given 20,000 volts.
36' A succession of corners eventually leads to a Liverpool free kick just outside the box. Diogo Jota brought down.
Who's going to take this then?
37' It was Mac Allister, and he hit it straight at the wall.
45' Hard going this for Liverpool. Fulham making the most of any contact with a Liverpool player and the reds yet to make a breakthrough.
It's a grind.
48' Gomez with a drilled chance that, yeah you guessed, goes narrowly wide.
And that's the last action of the half.
HT: Liverpool 0-1 Fulham - Not great. Missing some of the big names tonight.
Back on it - Liverpool kicking towards The Kop.
48' Driving run from Gravenberch, he twists and turns, bit his powerful shot goes wide. Good build up certainly from the Dutchman.
51' Jones shot is smothered by Leno. Pereira is down injured again. Phantom back injury.
53' Nunez and Gakpo are about to come on here.
55' Nice fast move around the area, but does Jota take a touch too many? Shot is fired straight at a defender.
56' Elliott and Gravenberch replaced by Gakpo and Nunez. Very attacking changes.
60' Liverpool going so 'gung ho' here doesn't seem to be working.
The reds have lost their shape a bit and Fulham have hit us a couple of times on the counter attack already. Could end up making the second leg a bigger job than it currently is.
We shall see...
67' Mac Allister takes the corner, it's returned to him and he has another go with a curler that Leno tips onto the crossbar.
It's end to end now this game.
68' CURTIS JONES!
Jota does well to keep the ball moving, lay off from Nunez and Jones fires one that takes a deflection off Tosin's back and beats Leno.
1-1.
71' A salute to the Kop from Cody Gakpo!!!
Wonderful move, Diogo Jota with the running, Nunez sends it across and Gakpo with a deft touch to put the reds in the lead.
75' Free kick outside the area. Perhaps not the best position for a right footer but Nunez puts that narrowly over the crossbar.
76' Jota twisting and turning once more, smashes that one but it goes high into The Kop.
Deserves a goal for his performance.
80' Great cross from Gakpo at speed, great header from Nunez who leaps high and a great save from Bernd Leno.
Bit of Premier League class all around there.
Into injury time now. Harry Wilson with a rugby tackle on Curtis Jones.
He's booked.
FT: Liverpool 2-1 Fulham
The reds could have had more, but Fulham had a couple of moments, especially in the immediate aftermath of Liverpool changing to a more attacking line up.
Fulham took the lead but the reds two quick fire goals give them a one goal advantage to take to Craven Cottage for the second leg.
A touch closer to Wembley than we were at the start of the evening.
One more Premier League game ahead before a 10 day 'winter break'.
(Correction)
Liverpool's ten day break starts now and then the Premier League returns for us on the 21st January.
- LFC Player StatsUpdated
