Reaction'There's no better feeling' - Harvey Elliott after Liverpool reach Carabao Cup final

The Reds’ 1-1 draw in their semi-final second leg at Fulham on Wednesday secured a 3-2 aggregate win and sets up a Wembley date with Chelsea next month.

And afterwards, a smiling Elliott spoke to Liverpoolfc.com to reflect on a night in which Jürgen Klopp’s side once more had to dig deep and show their character as well as their quality.

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“[It’s] just relief and excitement,” the midfielder said. “It was a hard shift tonight against a great team. They caused us problems but I think the lads dug very, very deep and we defended as a team and with the fans we fought to the last minute.

“So, just relief to get it over the line [and] to come away reaching a final, there’s no better feeling.”

Having arrived with a 2-1 lead from the first leg at Anfield earlier this month, Luis Diaz gave Liverpool a perfect start at Craven Cottage, scoring after only 11 minutes to make it 3-1 on aggregate.

But both sides missed chances on the night, and when Issa Diop forced home with 14 minutes remaining, the tie was still very much in the balance.

“The first goal and the last goal for us is vital,” Elliott said. “We came here not wanting to concede because we know what the fans are like. As soon as they got one goal, they were right behind them and they were throughout the whole night, even when they were losing.

“We just needed to kind of silence them and keep digging deep, and I thought as a team and as a club we did that, so it’s credit to us as a team and hopefully now we can go to the final and do the job there.”

He continued: “They were kind of playing cat and mouse, they were throwing people forward and leaving themselves vulnerable at the back. Sometimes they shut up shop and tried to hit us on the counter, so it’s credit to Fulham. As I said, they caused us many, many problems but we found a way to deal with it.

“We conceded one goal but we did it as a club and hopefully we can get it over the line now, but we’ve got some important games coming up before then.

“We just need to keep focus. Tonight’s done, we can celebrate a little bit but tomorrow is recovery and focus on the weekend.”

Elliott also paid tribute to the performance of youngsters Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley, both of whom made big contributions having been given the nod by the manager to start.

“Those two lads, and the lads that come on like Bobby Clark and the younger lads on the bench, they are all going to be needed at some point and have to step up,” Elliott said.

“The lads playing are certainly doing that but it’s a team at the end of the day, it’s not individuals and whenever we are called upon we just need to go out and give it 100 per cent. That’s what everyone is doing and long may that continue.

“As a club we can keep pushing forward and we can keep achieving things at this club. We just need to keep pushing on and keep working as a team and hopefully we can achieve a lot of things.”

Victory over Fulham sets up a repeat of the 2022 final when Liverpool defeated Chelsea after a penalty shootout to lift their ninth League Cup crown. Much has changed at both clubs since then, but Elliott knows a tough test awaits the Reds at Wembley.

“Definitely, it’s going to be a tough game,” he finished. “Chelsea are up there with the top teams in Europe and the world, so we are going to face many problems again but it’s just about how we deal with it.

“But that’s in a few weeks’ time or whenever it is. We just need to focus on the next game and keep preparing, keep taking the wins in our stride and keep pushing and keep getting momentum when it comes.

“The final is a couple of weeks away, so we’re not really too bothered about it now. We need to focus on the games that are coming up and make sure we do that right.”