Final, 1-0 Chelsea after extra time (Chelsea wins 2-1 on aggregate): The referee blows the final whistle. Chelsea defeats Liverpool and advances to the final of the Capital One Cup.
The Reds gave it their all during the pulsating semifinal, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to pass by the Blues. Ivanovic’s goal was the difference in the game and the series, as Chelsea edged past Liverpool in a tight and fiery game at Stamford Bridge. The loss ends the Reds’ hopes of winning the competition for the 19th time in its history. Rodgers won’t be able to win his first trophy as Liverpool manager until May at the earliest.
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That’s all for now, and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
Postgame analysis of Liverpool-Chelsea >>
120th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Lambert fires a shot over the crossbar at the other end.
120th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Ramires pokes a shot on goal, but Mignolet saves it.
119th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Chelsea makes its final substitution, bringing Drogba on for Willian.
116th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Skrtel is cautioned for a hard foul on Costa.
114th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Can is cautioned for fouling Hazard near the sideline.
108th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Oscar is cautioned.
106th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): The second half of extra time is underway.
Lambert replaces Moreno, as Liverpool makes its final substitution.
105th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): The first period of extra time is over. Chelsea has taken a giant step toward Wembley Stadium.
103rd minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Sterling shoots wide of Chelsea’s goal from 20 yards out.
102nd minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Gerrard and Costa tussle on the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area. Teammates and the referee separate the players.
Costa and Gerrard both are cautioned for their roles in the fracas.
100th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Sterling crosses from the by-line. Henderson arrives at the back post but flashes his header wide.
It was Liverpool’s best chance since the first half and its first in over 25 minutes.
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94th minute, 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea leads 2-1 on aggregate): Ivanovic thunders home a header after Willian lofted a free kick into Liverpool’s penalty area.
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The Reds’ mission remains the same. They still must score in order to reach the final.
92nd minute, 0-0: Balotelli launches a shot well into the stands after Sterling laid off a pass to him at the top of the arc.
91st minute, 0-0: The first period of extra time is underway.
End of 90 minutes: That’s the end of normal time. It’s still goal-less, and the game is heading to extra time.
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There will be two 15-minute periods. If the score holds, Chelsea will advance to the final via the away goals rules. Liverpool still needs to breach Chelsea’s defense and put the ball past the outstanding Courtois.
90th minute, 0-0: There will be four minutes of added time in the second half.
89th minute, 0-0: Ivanovic is cautioned for dragging down Sterling on the left just outside Chelsea’s penalty area.
88th minute, 0-0: Sterling cuts inside and shoots, but he slices his right-footed effort high and wide of the goal.
87th minute, 0-0: The prospect of extra time looms large, as the clock ticks toward the 90-minute mark.
The away goals rules applies after the two 15-minute periods of extra time. Liverpool still must score in order to have a chance of progressing to the Capital One Cup final.
81st minute, 0-0: Gerrard’s side-winder shot sails into the stands.
78th minute, 0-0: Luis is being helped off the field. It looks like he suffered an ankle injury. Azpilicueta replaces him at left back.
74th minute, 0-0: Terry is cautioned for a tackle from behind on Sterling.
72nd minute, 0-0: Gerrard hits a bouncing shot from 25 yards out, but it doesn’t trouble Courtois.
70th minute, 0-0: Balotelli enters the game. The Liverpool striker replaces Markovic.
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68th minute, 0-0: Ramires misses the target with a long-range shot.
67th minute, 0-0: Luis hits a free kick on target, but Mignolet saves the shot on the short hop.
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Henderson escaped dismissal before play stopped.
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65th minute, 0-0: Liverpool hesitates inside its own penalty area, but Mignolet saves the Reds with a tackle on Costa.
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61st minute, 0-0: Costa and Gerrard trade scoring chances, but the Belgian goalkeepers, Mignolet and Courtois, preserve the level scoreline.
Mignolet’s save has earned him plaudits.
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59th minute, 0-0: Hazard dribbles past four defenders and shoots from 20 yards out, but his left-footed effort goes narrowly wide of the goal.
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57th minute, 0-0: Johnson replaces Sakho, as Liverpool makes its first substitution.
Sakho limps off after a heavy collision with Willian.
55th minute, 0-0: Skrtel is irate after Costa stepped on him near the by-line. The referee declined to punish Costa once again.
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53rd minute, 0-0: Lucas is cautioned for a foul on Oscar.
Sakho’s misplaced pass led to Chelsea’s counter-attack, which Lucas ended with a hard foul on his compatriot.
49th minute, 0-0: Fabregas is down with an apparent injury after colliding with Terry. He’ll play no further part, as Ramires replaces him.
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46th minute, 0-0: The second half is underway. Neither team changed personnel at halftime.
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Halftime, 0-0: That’s the end of the first half. It’s goal-less at Stamford Bridge.
Nothing could separate the Reds and the Blues in the first half. The game had a high tempo, was ultra-competitive and as tense as expected. Liverpool had the better scoring chances, but Courtois continued to stymie the Reds and made the saves when called upon. Chelsea could have been awarded a penalty kick after Skrtel brought down Costa, but the referee failed to make the biggest call of the game.
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44th minute, 0-0: Coutinho evades Fabregas on the left side of Chelsea’s penalty area, dribbles into the box and shoots, but Zouama deflects it into the side netting.
44th minute, 0-0: The referee cautions Henderson for a foul on Hazard.
39th minute, 0-0: Oscar shoots wide from outside of Liverpool’s penalty area again. This time, it was from open play.
38th minute, 0-0: Oscar misses narrowly with a free kick from 25 yards out.
35th minute, 0-0: Henderson slices a shot wide from 22 yards out.
Luis and Terry closed down Henderson, as he tried to strike the ball cleanly.
33rd minute, 0-0: Ivanovic heads Fabregas’ corner kick over the crossbar.
30th minute, 0-0: Coutinho surges through the center channel, outwits Zouma and shoots with his left foot from 20 yards out, but Courtois denies him with a kick save.
Liverpool has had two clear scoring chances in the last three minutes.
28th minute, 0-0: Matic steps forward and shoots from the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area, but it rolls harmlessly wide of Mignolet’s goal.
Lucas disrupted Matic as he lined up his shot.
27th minute, 0-0: Gerrard finds Moreno with a fine diagonal pass into the Chelsea penalty area. Moreno takes a touch and shoots, but Courtois cuts down the angle and saves it.
Sterling wanted Moreno to pass the ball across the goal-mouth to him.
25th minute, 0-0: The game continues to be a high-tempo affair, and Chelsea is starting to establish control of proceedings.
Hazard has been able to gain possession behind Markovic and unsettle Liverpool’s defense. Markovic must show more tactical discipline in order to contain the Belgian star.
22nd minute, 0-0: Chelsea fans want a penalty kick after Skrtel’s tackle brought down Costa inside Liverpool’s penalty area.
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21st minute, 0-0: Costa tries to shoot on goal, but Skrtel blocks it. The loose ball then falls to Willian, but he loses control, and Mignolet collects it.
18th minute, 0-0: Ivanovic fires a cross into Liverpool’s goal-mouth, but it flies straight to Mignolet’s stomach.
17th minute, 0-0: Sterling breaks forward on the counter-attack. Terry slows Sterling, while Zouma shows good recovery speed and muscles the Liverpool forward off the ball before he can shoot from the edge of Chelsea’s penalty area.
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12th minute, 0-0: Can confronts Costa on the sideline after the Chelsea striker stepped on the Liverpool defender’s ankle.
Can’s teammates restrain him before the referee doles out punishment. Costa was lucky to escape a yellow card.
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Fifth minute, 0-0: Willian lines up a shot from the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area, but Lucas closes down the Brazilian and blocks his effort with a brave dive. The ball hit Lucas’ hand, but referee Michael Oliver ruled the contact incidental rather than intentional.
Fourth minute, 0-0: The game has started quickly and evenly, as neither team intends to give the opponent an early advantage.
Kickoff: The Capital One Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Chelsea is underway at Stamford Bridge.
Pregame: Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho both celebrated birthdays Monday. The managers have picked strong teams, having passed the 42- and 52-year mark, respectively.
Rodgers recalls Skrtel, Moreno, Markovic, Lucas and Gerrard to the starting lineup, as the Reds try to replicate the vintage performance they delivered in the first leg.
Liverpool’s defense has grown increasingly miserly since Rodgers began employing a three-back system in December, especially away from Anfield.
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Chelsea’s big team news comes at the back, as Zouma starts ahead of Cahill as Terry’s partner in central defense. The Frenchman might be able to cope with Sterling’s speed better than Cahill can. Zouma joined Chelsea last summer in a £12 million ($18 million) transfer from French club St. Etienne. Zouma, 20, faces the biggest test of his nascent Chelsea career.
Costa also starts. The Brazil-born Spanish international has scored 17 goals in the Premier League this term, but he has yet to score in seven cup games for the Blues.
Liverpool has failed to beat Chelsea in six attempts under Rodgers, who assured the public that the Reds will play without fear at Stamford Bridge.
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Mourinho still has his eye on winning a treble in his second season in his second stint as Chelsea manager.
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2:15 p.m.: Here are the lineups:
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet (22), goalkeeper
Emre Can (23), center back
Martin Skrtel (37), center back
Mamadou Sakho (17), center back
Alberto Moreno (18), left wing-back
Lazar Markovic (50), right wing-back
Lucas Leiva (21), midfielder
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Steven Gerrard (8), midfielder
Philippe Coutinho (10), midfielder
Raheem Sterling (31), forward
Substitutes
Danny Ward (52), goalkeeper
Dejan Lovren (6), defender
Glen Johnson (2), defender
Joe Allen (24), midfielder
Adam Lallana (20), midfielder
Rickie Lambert (9), striker
Mario Balotelli (45), striker
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Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois (13), goalkeeper
Filipe Luis (3), left back
John Terry (26), center back
Kurt Zouma (5), center back
Branislav Ivanovic (2), right back
Nemanja Matic (21), midfielder
Cesc Fabregas (4), midfielder
Oscar (8), midfielder
Eden Hazard (10), forward
Willian (22), forward
Diego Costa (19), striker
Substitutes
Petr Cech (1), goalkeeper
Cesar Azpilicueta (28), defender
Gary Cahill (24), defender
Nathan Ake (6), midfielder
Ramires (7), midfielder
Loic Remy (18), striker
Didier Drogba (11), striker
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12:15 p.m. ET: Liverpool is one game away from its 12th Football League Cup final. Chelsea is trying to prevent the Reds from reaching that dozen mark.
Liverpool and Chelsea meet Tuesday at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their Capital One Cup (or Football League Cup) semifinal. The outcome of the two-game series hangs in the balance, as the teams enter contest tied 1-1 on aggregate following last week’s first leg draw at Anfield.
Liverpool either needs to win the game or draw it (scoring two or more goals) in order to progress to the final. Manager Brendan Rodgers likely will field his strongest lineup for the decisive game, having rested several regulars Saturday in the draw against Bolton. Rodgers is expected to include Steven Gerrard in the starting 11. The Liverpool captain has never scored at Stamford Bridge (in 15 games). Gerrard and the other Reds will have to perform at their scintillating best when they visit England’s top team.
Chelsea still is smarting from Saturday’s shock defeat against Bradford City in the FA Cup. At this time last week, many were wondering whether Chelsea could win a historic quadruple in 2014-15. If the Blues fall against Liverpool, they’ll only be left standing in two competitions. Such is the speed with which things can change in top-level soccer.
Liverpool-Chelsea kicks off at 2:45 p.m. Join us right here for all the action from Stamford Bridge.
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Liverpool-Chelsea Verdict: Reds hit new heights >>
Thumbnail photo by Matt Dunham/The Associated Press
