 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2021–22 EFL Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Afterextra time Liverpool won 11–10 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | 27 February 2022 (2022-02-27) | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 85,512[3] | ||||||
←2021 2023 → | |||||||
The2022 EFL Cup final was the final of the2021–22 EFL Cup. It was played betweenChelsea andLiverpool atWembley Stadium in London, England, on 27 February 2022. The match saw no goals in the initial 90 minutes or the additional 30 minutes of extra time and went to apenalty shoot-out; each of the first 21 kicks in the shoot-out was scored before Chelsea goalkeeperKepa Arrizabalaga missed his to give Liverpool an 11–10 victory and a record ninth EFL Cup title.[4]
It was the first EFL Cup final since2017 not to featureManchester City, who had been knocked out in the fourth round byWest Ham United.[5]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Aston Villa (H) | 1–1 (4–3p.) |
| 4 | Southampton (H) | 1–1 (4–3p.) |
| QF | Brentford (A) | 2–0 |
| SF | Tottenham Hotspur (H) | 2–0 |
| Tottenham Hotspur (A) | 1–0 | |
| Key: (H) = Home; (A) = Away | ||
Chelsea, as aPremier League team involved in the2021–22 UEFA Champions League, started in the Third Round. Their first match was at home to fellow Premier League sideAston Villa.Timo Werner put Chelsea ahead in the second half, only forCameron Archer to equalise for Villa. The match went to apenalty shoot-out, which Chelsea won 4–3.[6] In the next round, they were again given a home draw against a Premier League side, this timeSouthampton. Chelsea again took the lead throughKai Havertz just before half-time, butChé Adams equalised just after the interval to again take the tie to a penalty shoot-out, which Chelsea again won 4–3.[7] In the quarter-finals, Chelsea received their first away draw, coming up againstWest London rivals and fellow Premier League sideBrentford. The match went goalless until 10 minutes from the end, when Brentford'sPontus Jansson scored anown goal, beforeJorginho sealed a 2–0 win for Chelsea with a penalty.[8] In the two-legged semi-final, Chelsea drew yet another Premier League side inLondon rivalsTottenham Hotspur. In the first leg atStamford Bridge, Chelsea won 2–0; both goals came in the first half, first from Havertz before Tottenham'sBen Davies scored an own goal.[9] In the return leg atTottenham Hotspur Stadium, a 1–0 win thanks to a goal fromAntonio Rüdiger was enough to put Chelsea through to the final 3–0 on aggregate.[10]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Norwich City (A) | 3–0 |
| 4 | Preston North End (A) | 2–0 |
| QF | Leicester City (H) | 3–3 (5–4p.) |
| SF | Arsenal (H) | 0–0 |
| Arsenal (A) | 2–0 | |
| Key: (H) = Home; (A) = Away | ||
As another Premier League team involved in the2021–22 UEFA Champions League, Liverpool also started in the Third Round. Their first game of the competition was away to fellow Premier League clubNorwich City, which they won 3–0;Takumi Minamino opened the scoring in the first five minutes, andDivock Origi also scored early in the second half before Minamino scored his second goal with 10 minutes left to play.[11] Liverpool received another away draw in the Fourth Round, where they defeatedEFL Championship sidePreston North End 2–0, thanks again to goals from Minamino and Origi.[12] Liverpool were 3–1 down at half-time in their Fifth Round match at home toLeicester City, with two goals fromJamie Vardy and one fromJames Maddison either side of one fromAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain;Diogo Jota pulled a goal back midway through the second half, before Minamino scored his fourth goal of the competition in the fifth minute of injury time to take the game to penalties. AfterCaoimhín Kelleher savedLuke Thomas' kick, Minamino had the chance to win it for Liverpool, only to shoot over; however,Ryan Bertrand missed with Leicester's next attempt, allowing Jota to give Liverpool a 5–4 shoot-out win.[13] They were drawn againstArsenal in the semi-finals, but an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Liverpool squad meant the first leg had to be postponed after the team's training facility was shut.[14][15] In what was originally meant to be the second leg atAnfield, Liverpool failed to score despite having a man advantage for almost three quarters of the game afterGranit Xhaka was sent off, and the game finished 0–0.[16] In the delayed second leg,Diogo Jota scored both goals at theEmirates Stadium to send Liverpool to the final.[17]
This was Chelsea's ninth League Cup final and Liverpool's thirteenth – the latter is the most appearances of any club in this competition.[18] It also meant that Chelsea's managerThomas Tuchel had led them to the finals of theUEFA Champions League,FA Cup and EFL Cup within a year of being appointed.[19]
This was the sides' second meeting in a League Cup final, having met in2005, when then-Chelsea managerJosé Mourinho guided the club to its first trophy since the2000 FA Charity Shield. They also met in three more title-deciding matches, the2006 FA Community Shield, the2012 FA Cup final, and the2019 UEFA Super Cup; Chelsea won in 2012, and Liverpool won the other two meetings.[citation needed]
Following Liverpool's semi-final second leg victory over Arsenal, managerJürgen Klopp confirmed that goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher would play in the final; Kelleher had only missed one EFL Cup match during the season – the fourth-round win over Preston.[20] In a much-publicised move, Chelsea started the game withKai Havertz in the central attacking position rather thanRomelu Lukaku. Liverpool were forced into a late change as an injury toThiago Alcântara in the warm-up meantNaby Keïta came into their starting lineup andHarvey Elliott came into the substitutes.[21]
Chelsea started the game stronger, creating the first clear chance of the game in the sixth minute, when Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher parried a shot byChristian Pulisic. Gradually Liverpool grew into the game, with increasing intensity, culminating in a double save from Chelsea goalkeeperÉdouard Mendy after efforts fromNaby Keïta andSadio Mané.Luis Díaz, lively on the left wing, was the standout player for Liverpool, with much of their play focused on that side of the pitch. Towards the end of the first half,Mason Mount had a clear chance but spurned it wide. The first half concluded with Liverpool enjoying most of the possession, but with Chelsea having the better chances. Chelsea created five chances in the first half with Havertz contributing four andCésar Azpilicueta one. The German would go on to end the game with five chances created, the most in an EFL Cup final sinceDavid Silva. However, Liverpool full-backTrent Alexander-Arnold exceeded that number with six chances created.[22]
Four minutes into the second half, Mount was presented with yet another good opportunity, only for him to hit the post after Kelleher seemed beaten. In the 69th minute, Liverpool thought they had taken the lead via aJoël Matip header, but the goal was ruled out after thevideo assistant referee (VAR) intervened, judging thatVirgil van Dijk, from an offside position, had fouledReece James in the build-up. Both Liverpool and Chelsea continued to create chances, but neither side was able to score during regulation time.[23]
In extra-time, Chelsea had goals fromRomelu Lukaku andKai Havertz ruled out for offside. Chelsea goalkeeperKepa Arrizabalaga was brought on for Mendy for the penalty shoot-out. Both teams scored their initial five spot kicks, and the shoot-out went to sudden death. All ten outfield players from both sides converted their penalties to make it 10–10. Liverpool's goalkeeper Kelleher then scored his team's eleventh penalty. With Liverpool leading 11–10, Arrizabalaga stepped up to take Chelsea's eleventh, but he shot over the crossbar, meaning Liverpool had achieved a record ninth EFL Cup win, their first in a decade, and Jürgen Klopp's first domestic cup as Liverpool manager.[24]
          Chelsea |      Liverpool |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2][failed verification] | Match rules[25]
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The match was broadcast in the United Kingdom by pay TV networkSky Sports, with an average of 3.16 million viewers and a peak of more than 4 million.[26]
