Liverpool booked their place in the Carabao Cup final as they capitalised on their first-leg advantage and held a spirited Fulham to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.
Luis Diaz’s opener was cancelled out by Issa Diop but the Red’s dug deep in the second leg to claim a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Liverpool will face Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea at Wembley on February 25, two years after defeating the Blues in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals.
A fired up Fulham came out of the blocks fighting as they looked to overturn a 2-1 deficit.
After Joao Palhinha’s first-time volley from Andreas Pereira’s corner sailed over, the hosts continued to push through the overlapping Antonee Robinson whose dangerous delivery failed to connect with a white shirt.
But a moment of complacency saw Liverpool strike the first blow in the 11th minute.
Jarell Quansah sent a long ball forward which appeared routine for Timothy Castagne to claim but the full-back was caught napping by Diaz.
The winger reacted quickly to beat him in the air before he drove into the box and scored past Bernd Leno at his near post.
Diaz had the ball in the back of the net again after Darwin Nunez exploited large gaps between centre-backs Tosin Adarabioyo and Diop but the goal was ruled offside after the striker naively moved too soon.
The Cottagers sought inspiration through Raul Jimenez and the Mexico international’s long-range shot forced Caoimhin Kelleher into action when he tipped the ball wide for a corner.
The hosts, now galvanised, enjoyed a five-minute flurry but despite Willian’s attempt from distance and Tom Cairney finding promising pockets, Marco Silva’s men failed to get the goal they desperately needed.
Fulham’s momentum continued after the break but so did their poor day in front of goal. Second-choice keeper Kelleher failed to collect a high ball, losing out to Bobby Decordova-Reid before Pereira found the post from a tight angle instead of the open net.
Liverpool appeared to have rode the storm and began to turn the screw themselves. After Nunez’s effort whistled past Leno’s left post in the 63rd minute, powerful midfielder Ryan Gravenberch did well to get the ball out of his feet before producing a driven strike which missed the target, much to the delight of Leno who would have been well-beaten.
Fulham blew the tie wide open when they scored in the 77th minute.
Harry Wilson drove down the left and curved a cross into the area where he found Diop, who had galloped forward from the back and expertly claimed the leveller with a neat finish past the keeper.
The west Londoners pushed for a dramatic ending and to take the tie into extra-time but a stubborn Liverpool held on through four added minutes.
Arnett Gardens join forces with Dream Entertainment to enhance club's brand
Arnett Gardens FC and Dream Entertainment have announced a groundbreaking partnership that will see the Dream Team providing strategic and managerial guidance to the club for the upcoming Jamaica Premier League (JPL) campaign and beyond.
Member of Parliament and chairman of Arnett Gardens, Mark Golding, explained that the partnership is aimed at providing financial stability and a more sustainable future for the club. This as the Dream Team’s expertise is expected to boost the brand and image of the South St Andrew-based club.
“I was seeking a commercial partner to guide strategy and manage the club forward to new revenue and achieve financial sustainability. Arnett has been a leading brand in football, a much-loved and much-supported club not just in the community where it is based, but the wider Jamaica and indeed the diaspora and beyond,” Golding said during a press conference on Monday.
“We were very happy to have met some like-minded business people at Dream Entertainment who have established themselves in the field of entertainment as innovators,” he added.
Like Golding, Scott Dunn, group managing director of Dream Entertainment, pointed out that the partnership will be mutually beneficial, as it provides a greater platform for Arnett to reap success on and off the field of play, as well as an avenue for the Dream Team to expand their influence.
“Football is entertainment, and we believe we can improve upon that entertainment product. The entertainment value of coming to an Arnett Gardens football match is going to be bigger and better.
“Anything I do, I am all in, and my team is definitely the same way. This is not something that is periphery or a side thing for Dream Entertainment, this is now a primary part of our business,” Dunn shared.
He continued: “Arnett Gardens is an iconic community. From Junior Reid singing about Jungle to a million artists thereafter, it is a big community and the surrounding communities as well. Trench Town, in terms of tourism, is a bigger brand than Kingston.
“For the fans in the community, this is something that is going to build the community. For the fans internationally and those who are already with Arnett, this is going to rebuild that excitement and bring in a whole host of new fans.”
Jonathan Grant open Manning Cup season with 9-0 hammering of Gaynstead in Zone B; KC held to 2-2 draw by Penwood in Zone C
Jonathan Grant High took the early lead in Zone B of the 2024 ISSA Manning Cup thanks to a 9-0 hammering of Gaynstead High at the Papine High School field on Monday.
The 1999 Walker Cup champions lead defending Manning Cup title holders Mona High by two goals on goal difference after the first round of matches in Zone B.
In the other Zone B game on Monday, three-time Manning Cup champions Charlie Smith defeated Tarrant High 4-0 at Jacisera Park.
In Zone C, 16-time winners Kingston College had a disappointing start to their season with a 2-2 draw against Penwood High at Maverley Field.
Campion College took the early lead in Zone C thanks to a 4-0 win over Cumberland High at Cumberland while Jose Marti scored a big win of their own, 5-2 over Meadowbrook at Meadowbrook, to slot in at second on goal difference.
Tivoli Gardens High took the early lead in Zone D thanks to a 4-1 win over Denham Town High at Tivoli.
10-time Manning Cup winners Wolmer’s Boys also opened their season with a win, 3-1 over St. Jago High at St. Jago.
St. Mary’s College and Edith Dalton James High played out a 1-1 draw in the day’s other Zone D encounter.
Indonesia 0-0 Australia: Wasteful Socceroos play out stalemate
Australia's wastefulness in front of goal cost them in World Cup qualifying once more as they drew 0-0 with Indonesia on Tuesday.
Nestory Irankunda came closest for the Socceroos, hitting the woodwork, as Graham Arnold's side failed to pick up their first win in the third round of the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers.
Indonesia had an early flurry of chances, with Sandy Walsh and Rafael Struick both testing Mat Ryan inside the opening 17 seconds.
Australia dominated after that though, with Harry Souttar seeing a couple of efforts saved in quick succession before Irankunda struck the woodwork from range just after the half-hour mark.
The visitors pushed for an opening in the second half but struggled to create many chances of note as Craig Goodwin had Australia's only shot on target after the break.
Witan Sulaeman almost snatched it at the end, but missed a glorious chance in the dying seconds, poking a close-range shot wide of the near post under no pressure.
Data Debrief: Socceroos fire another blank
Australia suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in their last match, with a Souttar own goal compounding their misery that day.
And their lack of a clinical edge cost them once more against Indonesia, as they had 19 shots (five on target); they last recorded more without scoring against the United Arab Emirates in January 2019 in the Asian Cup (22).
Meanwhile, Indonesia's defence stayed resolute, but they offered little in terms of attacking threat, managing only two shots on target, which both came within a second of each other.
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