Liverpool used their first-leg advantage to their advantage and held a determined Fulham to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage to secure their spot in the Carabao Cup final.

Issa Diop cancelled out Luis Diaz’s first goal, but the Reds persevered in the second leg to win 3-2 overall.

On February 25, Liverpool will play Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino at Wembley, two years after winning both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup finals over the Blues.

A motivated Fulham started the game with a strong desire to overcome a 2-1 deficit.

Following Joao Palhinha’s initial effort from Andreas Pereira’s corner, which went over, the hosts persisted in pressing through Antonee Robinson, whose daring delivery missed a white shirt.

But in the eleventh minute, Liverpool dealt the first blow due to a moment of complacency.

Timothy Castagne seemed to have little trouble claiming a long ball forward that Jarell Quansah threw forward, but Diaz caught the full-back off guard.

The winger scored past Bernd Leno at his near post after making a fast move to beat him in the air and drive into the box.

Darwin Nunez took advantage of big spaces between Tosin Adarabioyo and Diop, the center backs, to put Diaz in the back of the net once more. However, the goal was called offside because the striker moved too soon.

Raul Jimenez was a source of inspiration for the Cottagers, and his long-range effort forced Caoimhin Kelleher to tip the ball wide for a corner.

Now fired up, the home team enjoyed a five-minute burst, but Marco Silva’s team was unable to get the goal they sorely needed, even though Willian attempted a long-range shot and Tom Cairney found some open space.

After the interval, Fulham’s impetus persisted, but so did their dismal day in front of goal. Before Bobby Decordova-Reid beat second-choice goalie Kelleher to grab a high ball, Pereira struck the post with a narrow angle rather than the open goal.

It seemed as though Liverpool weathered the tempest and started to exert their own influence. Strong midfielder Ryan Gravenberch did well to get the ball out of his feet before unleashing a driven strike that missed the target, much to Leno’s joy as he would have been well-beaten, after Nunez’s effort whistled past Leno’s left post in the 63rd minute.

When Fulham scored in the 77th minute, they completely broke open the contest.

Driving to the left, Harry Wilson curled a cross into the space where he discovered Diop. Diop had come galloping forward from the back and claimed the equalizer with a deft finish beyond the goalie.

Despite the west Londoners’ best efforts to force extra time and a dramatic conclusion, Liverpool managed to hold on for four more minutes.