Good evening! Well, a frantic weekend of FA Cup action is now over, so we turn our attention back to the League Cup, where Chelsea and Liverpool will tonight battle for a place in the final at Wembley. This tie is finely poised following a thoroughly entertaining first leg that ended 1-1 at Anfield, so we should be in for another intriguing 90 minutes of football tonight, if not more. Let's start with a look at the hosts...

There really is only one place to start with Chelsea. Their defeat at home to Bradford City on Saturday stole the headlines on a remarkable day of FA Cup action, with some labelling it the biggest upset in the famous competition's long and illustrious history. The manner in which it happened could well make it so, with Chelsea squandering a two-goal lead to eventually lose 4-2. It was their first home defeat of the season, and Liverpool will be looking to inflict another here tonight.

As astonishing as the defeat to Bradford was, all the signs so far this season point to it being a mere blip - albeit a major one. Chelsea have been by far and away the best team in England so far this season, and they remain heavy favourites to claim the Premier League title. Some had tipped them for an unprecedented quadruple, but they could see that achievement drop from four trophies to just two in a matter of days should they lose tonight.

Mourinho may have a slight worry that his side's season will begin to unravel following that Bradford defeat, and especially if they lose again tonight. However, a hallmark of Mourinho's sides is their ability to bounce back from disappointing results, as they did after losing to Tottenham on New Year's Day. They responded by winning their next three games without conceding a goal, although this past week has been as damaging to their air of invincibility as it has to their hopes of silverware this season.

Including the draw in the first leg of this tie - a match that Mourinho will feel that his side were lucky to come away with anything from - Chelsea have failed to win either of their last two games. Of course, that is not particularly out of the ordinary for most sides, but Chelsea have been so impressive throughout the rest of the season that it demonstrates a significant dip for the Blues. They have not failed to win three on the bounce in all competitions since August-September 2013, a fate they will be hoping to avoid tonight.

Indeed, they have not lost two games in a row for almost a year, yet they have already lost as many games in 2015 as they did in the final seven-and-a-half months of 2014. That stat may not worry Mourinho too much, but opposition teams will certainly be growing in belief that they can get a result against a side that, before their loss to Newcastle earlier in the campaign, many were tipping to go the entire season unbeaten.

They haven't been entirely convincing in this competition either so far this season. They edged to a narrow victory over Bolton in the third round before scraping past League Two outfit Shrewsbury Town after that. Their biggest win so far came against Derby County, but even that was not entirely straightforward until the Rams had a man sent off, allowing Mourinho's men to run out 3-1 winners. Liverpool are the first Premier League side they have encountered this season and, as previously mentioned, they were lucky to escape from Anfield with a draw a week ago.

Before what we can only assume to be an anomaly of a result against Bradford, Chelsea had won 14 and drawn one of their 15 home matches this season, which makes the Bantam's triumph all the more amazing. They had kept four clean sheets in a row before Saturday too, conceding just six home goals all season until Bradford hit four past them. Incidentally, that is also the first time in Mourinho's managerial career that one of his sides has conceded four goals at home.

While Liverpool would have thoroughly enjoyed Chelsea's loss at the weekend and may think that they are playing the Premier League leaders at a good time, the reality is that the hosts will want to bounce back in style. They will be something of a wounded animal tonight and Liverpool need to be wary of an inevitable backlash. I mentioned earlier that Mourinho is good at recovering from defeats usually, and such a embarrassing loss will surely lead him to want to make a statement of some kind tonight. Liverpool may, therefore, need to alter their tactics slightly to contain that.

Even if Chelsea are back to their best, though, Liverpool will feel that they are capable of pulling off the required result tonight. That confidence is born from their recent improved form and the first leg of this tie in particular. The Reds peppered the Chelsea goal with shots in the second half especially, and only an inspired performance from Thibaut Courtois, coupled with the woodwork, prevented them from leaving Anfield with a fairly comfortable victory to take into this second leg. As it happens, Liverpool are still underdogs to progress, but if they can replicate last week's performance then they will give Chelsea a real game at the very least.

Liverpool are coming into this match off the back of a disappointing result of their own, although not as damaging as the one suffered by Chelsea. They were held to a goalless draw by Bolton and face a replay at the Macron Stadium next Wednesday, which only serves to further clutter their already busy schedule. The Reds did not play too badly in that match, but again the opposition keeper, Adam Bogdan this time, had a very good game and the visitors defended stoutly.

That result made it 10 matches in a row without defeat for Liverpool, who have turned a corner over the past month or so and looked well placed to salvage plenty from what at one point looked to be a doomed season. They are still in the top-four race, sitting five points behind Manchester United as it stands, while success in the League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League are all still realistic goals. With Daniel Sturridge expected to return later this week as well, things are looking promising on Merseyside.

Sturridge's return will certainly help the team to put away the sort of chances that they created in both the first leg of this fixture and their FA Cup tie against Bolton at the weekend, but it is at the other end of the field where the most notable improvement has been made recently. Defence was the weak spot for Liverpool throughout their title challenge last season and that carried on into the current campaign, but they have now kept three clean sheets in their last four games and are beginning to look at lot more solid since switching to three central defenders.

Away form has also been much better, and they have actually been better on the road recently than they have at Anfield. Liverpool have drawn six of their last seven games in front of their own fans but are on a run of five straight wins away from home, conceding just two goals in the process. Considering they won only three of their previous 17 away games, that is a marked improvement from Brendan Rodgers side. Should they emerge victorious tonight then they would have won six away games on the bounce for the first time since 2006.

Like Chelsea, Liverpool have not been too convincing in their progression to this stage of the competition. They began with a home tie against Middlesbrough and were taken to penalties in a thrilling clash with the Championship high-flyers. A record-breaking shootout ensued, with Liverpool eventually edged to progress. They met Swansea in the next round and looked to be heading out until late goals from Balotelli and Lovren kept them in the competition. A fairly comfortable 3-1 victory over Bournemouth followed in the quarter-finals, before they put in a very impressive display against Chelsea a week ago.

TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides, and the first thing to note is that there is no Daniel Sturridge in the squad for Liverpool. The likes of Gerrard and Skrtel return for the visitors, but Sturridge, who only returned to training on Sunday, is still not quite fit enough. Mourinho, meanwhile, makes a host of changes as expected, with the likes of Hazard, Fabregas and Costa returning. There is no place for Cahill, however, as Zouma plays alongside Terry. Full teams for both sides on the way...

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Luis; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa

CHELSEA SUBS: Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ake, Ramires, Remy and Drogba

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Can, Skrtel, Sakho; Markovic, Lucas, Henderson, Moreno; Coutinho, Gerrard; Sterling

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Ward, Johnson, Lovren, Lambert, Lallana, Allen, Balotelli

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, it is no surprise that Mourinho has made a host of changes from that Bradford defeat, with only Zouma and Oscar keeping their place. Perhaps the most significant of the returning party could prove to be Diego Costa, who scored the winning goal in the league meeting at Anfield but struggled to get any joy a week ago. He seems to relish the battle he gets playing against Skrtel and, following reports of a bust-up with Henderson in the tunnel at Anfield, you can be sure that he will be fired up again tonight.

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Just behind Costa will be the supporting cast of Willian, Oscar and Hazard, the trio often preferred by Mourinho this season. Willian and Oscar in particular have a great work ethic and very rarely neglect their defensive duties, as well as providing a significant threat in the final third, so it is easy to see why Mourinho is so fond of them. Hazard, meanwhile, has been in scintillating form this season and will be a real danger to the Liverpool defence tonight. He got the Chelsea goal in the first leg and was the only player for the visitors who really looked like causing Liverpool major problems a week ago.

The midfield duo of Matic and Fabregas provide perfect balance to the side and have rightly received huge praise so far this season. However, they have just gone off the boil in the last week or so, and Matic in particular was partly culpable for Sterling's goal in the first leg a week ago. He had played very well up until that point, but as the match wore on he struggled to shackle the likes of Sterling and Coutinho. There is no doubting his ability, but for the first time this season he seems to be going through a slight dip in form right now.

It is interesting to see Cahill left out of the starting lineup for tonight's match, with Zouma the man continuing alongside the returning Terry. Cahill was largely blamed for Liverpool's goal last week as Sterling coasted past him, and it was evident at times that he and Terry were struggled to cope with the Liverpool youngster's pace. The inclusion of Zouma may well be an effort to counteract that, although the Frenchman will still be hard-pressed to match Sterling in a foot race. Ivanovic and Luis return on their respective flanks, while Courtois is back between the sticks in place of Cech.

As for Liverpool, they welcome Martin Skrtel back into the side after the centre-back sat out the draw with Bolton. He produced arguably his best performance of the season in the first leg of this tie and will be looking forward to coming up against Costa once again tonight. Can, on the other hand, struggled at times against the trickery of Hazard and was exposed defensively on a few occasions. He does provide composure in possession at the back, but it is sometimes evident that he is not a defender by trade.

Markovic also returns to the starting lineup tonight have begun to find his feet at the club in recent weeks. He is expected to act as the right wing-back once again, with Moreno filling the role on the opposite flank having replaced Enrique in the side. Lucas and Henderson are two other players who have started to hit top form again too, and they will look to provide the base for the likes of Coutinho, Sterling and Gerrard in front of them to flourish.

That front three caused Chelsea all sorts of problems in the second half of the first leg, and the understanding between Coutinho and Sterling in particular looks to be growing with each passing game. Sterling's goal a week ago was a special solo effort and he will once again know that he has the pace advantage on the Chelsea defenders, so will look to exploit that tonight. As for Gerrard, he hit the post in the first leg before being taken off early and rested against Bolton at the weekend. However, his record against Chelsea is not great having scored just once in his 37 career appearances against the Blues.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff here at Stamford Bridge, which means that it is time for a prediction! The strange nature of the League Cup means that away goals do not count until after extra time this evening, so a goalless draw would be enough for Liverpool unless it stays that way from 90 minutes to 120. There is no rush for the visitors, then, and they will be confident of biding their time. Chelsea will look for a response to the Bradford defeat and, if they really hit top form, should win tonight, but I'm going to go for a 1-1 draw, and a Liverpool win on penalties.

These two have forged an incredible rivalry over the past decade or so, and this will be the 38th time that they have squared up in that time, with 18 of those matches coming in cup competitions. Brendan Rodgers, however, is still awaiting his first victory over Chelsea as a manager, a run that includes six meetings while in charge of Liverpool. Victory tonight would put him on the verge of his first trophy with the Reds, although he was part of the Chelsea coaching staff when they beat Liverpool in the 2005 final of this competition.

Liverpool do have a decent record at Stamford Bridge in recent seasons, however, and they even won here three times in a row during 2011. However, they are without a win in their last three trips, despite managing to score in all of their last six visits. Chelsea, meanwhile, have managed to score at least twice in each of their last 13 home games, so Liverpool are likely to need their shooting boots once again tonight.

Liverpool have the superior pedigree in this competition, lifting the trophy a record eight times and reaching 11 finals overall - another record. This is only the second time in the last two seasons that they have progressed past the fourth round, but on the other occasions they went on to win it in 2011-12. They have also won their last four semi-final appearances and have got to the final 11 of the 14 times they have reached the last four. Chelsea, meanwhile, have only reached the final six times from 11 semi-final appearances, but have won the League Cup four times, including twice under Mourinho.

The players are out ahead of this huge League Cup tie, with many question marks hanging over both teams. Wembley is just 90 minutes away from one of these sides, with a final against one of Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United awaiting them. Who will come out on top?

KICKOFF: Chelsea get us underway here looking to bounce back from that defeat on Saturday, while Liverpool look to provide a minor shock and reach their first final since the 2012 FA Cup final.

The match has started at a really good tempo from both sides. Liverpool are looking to press high up the field, as they did successfully in the first leg, while Chelsea are also trying to get on the front foot nice and early.

Really bright play from Costa as he beats Sakho on the right before cutting inside and getting past Skrtel as well. He tries to tee up Willian, but just undersells the Brazilian and Lucas is able to make the challenge.

There was a question of handball in that last move, with the ball striking Lucas's hand in the area as he was making his challenge. Michael Oliver was perfectly placed, though, and opted against giving the penalty. The hand was not in an unnatural position and Lucas had not time to move it, so that is the right decision from the ref.

It really has been a frantic start to this match. Neither side have been able to create a real opening, but both have looked threatening when they come forward. It is shaping up to be a humdinger of a cup tie.

There have been quite a few long passes already this evening, which is something of a surprise considering both teams often play good passing football. They haven't worked either, with both defences dealing with everything comfortably so far.

Can and Costa are involved in a tangle on the sideline and the latter appears to stand on the ankle of the Liverpool man, which draws an angry reaction. A number of players get involved, while Mourinho is also giving the verbals to a number of red shirts. The referee calms things down without the use of cards, though.

Chelsea have had 61% of the ball in this match so far, but neither side have really been able to keep hold of possession for an extended period of time. No-one is getting any time on the ball, which is credit to the pressing of both defences.

A really good chance for Liverpool to break as Zouma misjudges the ball and only succeeds in flicking it on for Sterling. The winger races through on goal and only has Terry to beat, with Gerrard sprinting up in support. However, Sterling chooses to go alone, beating Terry but then being tackled by Zouma, who did really well to get back and atone for his error.

Good build-up play from Chelsea as they work the ball over to the right, where Ivanovic finds himself in space. He fizzes a cross low towards the near post, and Hazard is inches away from getting a touch before it zips into the arms of Mignolet, who holds on to it well.

It is clear what Liverpool are trying to do with their long balls forward. In the first leg the area just outside the Chelsea box was crowded by players, which meant Sterling struggled to get in any space. With this tactics, however, they are getting him free early when possible, leaving him with only the defenders to beat rather than Matic and Fabregas too.

Sterling looks to use his pace again here as he collects a pass from Henderson on the halfway line before knocking it past Terry. However, he put too much on it and it runs through to Courtois.

PENALTY SHOUT! Huge shout for a penalty to Chelsea as Costa goes down under the challenge of Skrtel. It looks like an untidy challenge from the Liverpool man, but Michael Oliver only points for a goal kick. Costa went down dramatically, but Skrtel got away with one there. I've certainly seen them given.

Half a chance for Costa as Hazard picks the ball up down the left before cutting back onto his right foot and firing a cross into the middle. It just arrives a fraction behind Costa, however, and he can't make any contact with it.

Chelsea have just begun to exert an element of control over this match now and they are looking the more dangerous of the two teams at the moment. Liverpool got away with one with that penalty shout, and they need to settle themselves again here.

CHANCE! Huge chance for the visitors to take the lead. Gerrard slides a lovely pass inside the full-back for the marauding Moreno, who only has Courtois to beat. That is easier said than done, however, and having taken a touch Moreno sees his shot brilliantly saved by Courtois. Another huge save by the Belgian keeper in this tie.

SHOT! Matic comes forward at the other end looking for the opening goal, but he takes one more touch than necessary before letting fly from 20 yards. That gives Lucas the chance to get back and put his fellow defensive midfielder off, and Matic ends up shanking his effort well wide.

CHANCE! Again Courtois comes to Chelsea's rescue! It is superb play from Coutinho as he picks the ball up in midfield and sends Zouma five yards the wrong way with a dummy. He advances through on goal but sees his left-footed effort stopped by the foot of Courtois.

A hint of an opening for the hosts as a corner arrives at the back post, where both Ivanovic and Matic have a bit of space. However, they end up getting in each other's way and the header is nowhere near troubling Mignolet.

Decent break from Liverpool as they ball is played down the left flank for Moreno, who brushes Ivanovic aside before pulling the ball back for Henderson. He opts against the shot and looks for Sterling, but in the end the attack breaks down.

SHOT! Matic gives the ball away in a dangerous area and Coutinho moves down the left with it. He finds Gerrard in the middle, and the skipper in turn lays the ball off for Henderson. However, Terry and Luis are so quick out to the midfielder that he slices his effort well off target.

Strange defending from Sakho as he watches a high ball all the way but then lets it bounces, which invites pressure from Costa. Sure enough, the striker is there to challenge, but Skrtel comes across to clean up. That was an unnecessary risk from Sakho.

SHOT! Oscar wins a free kick in a really good position following a foul from Lucas, and the Chelsea man takes it himself. He looks to fool Mignolet by going to the keeper's side, but he drags his effort a yard or two past the post.

SHOT! Again Oscar goes for goal from range, and this one ends up in a similar place to his free kick moments before. He had Ivanovic open on his right as well, and would have been better served passing there.

Good opening for Chelsea as Hazard weaves his way into space on the edge of the ox before sliding a pass through that is intended for Oscar. However, Oscar is not on the same wavelength and the ball runs through to safety.

YELLOW CARD! Henderson is the first name in the book for a tug on Hazard in midfield. That is a harsh one from Michael Oliver, but once again he was very well placed to make the decision.

SHOT! Bright play again from Coutinho as he rolls away from Fabregas on the left before cutting inside. He chooses to go for goal from a tight angle, but his effort hits Zouma and slams into the side-netting.

Almost a gift for Chelsea! Sakho never looks comfortable with the ball at his feet here, and in the end he gives a hospital ball to Lucas, who is beaten to it. Willian tries to slide in Costa, but his pass is behind the striker and the chance goes begging.

There will be just one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

Michael Oliver brings an end to the first half, and it was an entertaining 45 minutes despite it remaining 0-0 on the night. As things stand, we are set for extra time but, should it still be goalless after 120 minutes, then Chelsea would progress to the final. It is Liverpool who have had the better of things tonight so far, but they ultimately need a goal sooner or later.

The best chance of the night so far fell the way of Moreno, who found himself through on goal having been slipped in by a fine Gerrard pass inside the full-back. Moreno only had Courtois to beat but, having taken a touch, he saw his effort very well saved by the keeper. Courtois made a number of key stops in the first leg and, if this one stays like this tonight, then Chelsea will again have the big Belgian to thank.

Coutinho also created a very good opportunity for himself on the half-hour mark, weaving his way past Zouma with a lovely dummy and going through on goal. Once again, only Courtois stood in his way, but the keeper stuck out a leg to prevent the shot from the edge of the box going in. Coutinho has looked bright so far, and could well be the key to unlocking this Chelsea defence.

Two major talking points in that first half surrounded Costa, with the first involving an apparent stamp from the striker on the ankle of Can. He is fortunate that none of the officials saw the incident as it would have been a straight red card had he been deemed guilty, which would have also ruled himself out of this weekend's huge clash with Manchester City.

Costa also had a strong penalty shout turned down later in the half, going over a challenge from Skrtel when heading towards the byline. It was an untidy and needless challenge from Skrtel but, unlike the stamping incident, Michael Oliver had a clear view and decided against pointing to the spot. There was certainly a question to be answered, and Skrtel may feel a little lucky that he got away with it.

In terms of chances, it has been very slim pickings for Chelsea so far. They have had a few efforts, but the closest they have come was a free kick from Oscar that skimmed a couple of yards past the post when Mignolet looked to have it covered anyway. They had no shots on target in that opening 45 minutes, meaning that their one and only shot on target in the tie so far was Eden Hazard's penalty in the first leg.

This scoreline suits Chelsea more than it does Liverpool as they can go through with a goalless draw, while Liverpool need a goal. However, Mourinho will want to see an improvement from his side as Liverpool are very much in with a chance of winning this second leg and progressing to Wembley.

KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for a huge second half at Stamford Bridge. Can they continue their good work in the tie so far to reach Wembley, or will Chelsea hit back?

Beautiful play from Coutinho as he turns Fabregas and leaves the Spaniard scrambling trying to bring him down. Nothing comes of the move, but the Brazilian is showing some silky skills tonight.

Positive play from Hazard as he picks the ball up on the left and rives past Can before putting a very dangerous low ball into the box. Skrtel slides in and somehow turns it over his own crossbar when it could have easily ended up in the back of his own net.

CHELSEA SUB: This is worrying for Chelsea as Fabregas is forced off early in this second half with an injury seemingly picked up in a clash with Terry. Ramires replaces him, and Mourinho will be hoping that the injury isn't serious enough to keep Fabregas out against Manchester City at the weekend.

Mignolet is forced a long way out of his goal and, with Hazard bearing down on him, he just about gets the ball clear. The subsequent throw is awarded to Liverpool, which angers Chelsea.

YELLOW CARD! This one is beginning to boil over now! Sakho gives the ball away carelessly and Lucas is forced to lunge into a terrible challenge on Oscar to stop the quick break. He rightly gets a yellow card, and after that Skrtel and Costa go head to head, quite literally.

After all that, Michael Oliver opts against showing any more cards, despite there being contact between both players' heads. Neither exactly butted each other, though, so it is probably the right decision from the referee. However, Costa did appear to stand on Skrtel's foot, which is another stamping allegation against the striker tonight.

After all that, the free kick slams into the wall and comes to nothing for Chelsea. Costa, though, can consider himself a lucky boy to still be on the field here. He has got away with two stamps tonight.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool are forced into a change here as Sakho walks off gingerly. He is replaced by former Chelsea man Glen Johnson.

CLOSE! Brilliant play from Hazard as he picks the ball up just inside the Liverpool half before weaving his way past three or four red shirts. He finally lets a shot go from 20 yards, and his effort flies inches past the post.

SAVE! Oh my word, what a save this is from Mignolet! Chelsea work the ball really well down the left and the ball eventually falls to Costa outside the box. He strikes it well but his effort takes a deflection on the way through which for a moment seems to have beaten Mignolet. However, the Liverpool keeper somehow sticks a leg out to save it! What a stop.

SAVE! Liverpool go straight up the other end and threaten to break the deadlock themselves. It is Gerrard who eventually has the shot following good work from Sterling down the right, but the Liverpool skipper curls an effort straight at Courtois. Then, at the other end, Costa sees a really good opening blocked.

Again Chelsea come forward in what is turning into a really open encounter. This time Willian is slipped through down the right channel but, having got the wrong side of Johnson, he sees his cross deflected into the arms of Mignolet by Skrtel.

SAVES! Mignolet to the rescue again! Oscar's ball towards Ramires is cut out by Henderson, who only succeeds in diverting the ball through for Costa. The striker is in the box with only the keeper to beat, but Mignolet makes a brilliant tackle as Costa tried to go past the keeper. Moments later, Mignolet holds on to an Oscar shot.

SAVE! At the other end Courtois is called into action as he races off his line to thwarts Sterling, who was through on goal himself.

SAVE! Henderson is a lucky boy here! Hazard flicks the ball up and it strikes the Liverpool midfielder on the arm as he looked to deliberate block the pass. Having already been booked, he is very fortunate to get away with a second yellow there. From the resulting free kick, Mignolet holds on to Oscar's effort.

CLOSE! Ramires is the latest to try his luck from range, and the midfielder is not far away. He catches his shot really well, but it flies a yard or so past the far post.

LIVERPOOL SUB: This match is already frantic and frenetic, so what combustible element do you add to the mix? Mario Balotelli of course! He replaces Markovic, complete with moustache and mohawk.

SAVE! Good spell of possession for Liverpool, who have been on the back foot a little over the last 10 minutes or so. It eventually ends with Gerrard finding a yard of space within shooting range, but he doesn't catch his effort quite right and it is easy for Courtois.

YELLOW CARD! Terrible challenge from Terry as he comes flying in from behind on Sterling. He can have no complaints about that one, and on another day the referee may have even contemplated a different colour card.

Another Chelsea attack breaks down as a Ramires header runs through to Mignolet, who has been brilliant when needed today. He has received plenty of criticism this season, but his two saves from Costa were crucial.

CHELSEA SUB: Chelsea are forced into another change here as Luis slowly limps off the field to be replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta.

We have just 10 minutes left of normal time here. Remember, as things stand we would go to extra time, but should the scoreline remain the same after 120 minutes, then Chelsea would progress. The only way we can see penalties tonight is if normal times ends level and the score is 1-1 after extra time.

SHOT! Almost an opening for Liverpool as Balotelli back-heels the ball to Coutinho, who leaves Terry on his backside with a lovely piece of skill. He is then crowded out but manages to squeeze a pass to Gerrard, who can't keep his volley down when the ball was at an awkward height.

Chance for Chelsea to break, but Liverpool get bodies back really quickly and eventually Costa's shot from the edge of the box is blocked. Liverpool launch an attack of their own but that also fizzles out to nothing. End-to-end stuff right now.

Quite how this match is 0-0, I'm not sure. Both sides have had some great chances and it has been a thoroughly entertaining encounter from start to finish. You won't see many better goalless draws this season, if indeed that is how this one will end.

Hazard looks to provide the moment of magic that could be needed to separate these two teams. He spots Mignolet off his line and goes for goal from 40 yards at least, but his shot is not high enough and Mignolet holds on.

SHOT! Good sight of goal for Liverpool as Henderson pings a lovely crossfield pass to Sterling, who takes it down before cutting inside, using Moreno as a decoy runner. His eventual shot is high and wide, though, much to the relief of Courtois.

YELLOW CARD! Again Sterling causes problems, dipping past Ivanovic and drawing a foul in a very dangerous crossing position. Could this be their moment? Ivanovic goes into the book for the challenge.

The free kick is dealt with by Chelsea, but Liverpool keep the pressure on and Henderson wins a corner off Hazard...

...again Chelsea deal with the danger as the fourth official shows four minutes of stoppage time at the end of this 90 minutes. Can anyone prevent extra time?

Chelsea are the team applying the late pressure here. They work the ball to Matic in a shooting position, but his effort is blocked and spins behind for a corner.

The corner bounces straight back out to Oscar, who is on the end of a fine challenge from Gerrard inside the area. Moments later Matic wriggles his way through and pulls a cross back into a dangerous area, but there are no blue shirts there.

Extra time it is, then! The two sides have not been able to be separated over 180 minutes of football, but if there are no goals in the next 30 then Chelsea will progress on away goals. Put simply, Liverpool now need a goal if they are to keep their Wembley dreams alive.

It was Chelsea who came closest in that second half, only to be thwarted on two occasions by Mignolet, much like Courtois had saved Chelsea in the first half. Mignolet managed to stick out a trailing leg to keep out a Costa effort that had deflected off Skrtel, while moments later the keeper made a fine tackle on the Chelsea striker when he was clean through on goal.

KICKOFF: Chelsea get us back underway for the extra 30 minutes knowing that, as things stand, things are in their favour. All they need to do is keep Liverpool at bay now.

CHANCE! An early opening for Liverpool as Coutinho races on to a long ball down the left channel. He hooks a cross in to Sterling, who lays it off for Balotelli on the edge of the box. The Italian has time and space to shoot, but blazes an effort a long way off target when he really should have done better.

First blood goes to Chelsea! In the fourth minute of stoppage time it is Ivanovic who gives his side the lead, rising unmarked in the middle of the area to nod Willian's free kick past Mignolet. Terrible defending from Liverpool, but Chelsea have one foot in the League Cup final now!

Liverpool's objective hasn't really changed despite that goal. They still need to score themselves, but any goal without reply now would only be enough for penalties. Chelsea, meanwhile, don't need to force the issue at all now.

Chelsea have done a good job of keeping the ball at the right end of the field as far as they are concerned since that opening goal. Liverpool haven't been able to muster any sort of response so far, and the visitors could find heads dropping if that remains the case.

CHANCE! Huge chance for Liverpool to restore parity here! Sterling does really well down the left, beating his man on his way to the byline before standing the ball up at the far post. Henderson gets in front of his man, but plants his header wide from around eight yards out. That was approaching a sitter for the Liverpool midfielder!

YELLOW CARDS! Again Costa is involved in a flare-up as he tangles with Gerrard. Both players are unhappy with each other, and both are put into the book by Michael Oliver.

SHOT! Really good play from Balotelli on the right as he bursts between two defenders before firing a cross to Sterling. It is slightly behind the winger, who drags his eventual shot well wide when he had men in support.

There will be just the one additional minute at the end of this first period of extra time.

The first period of extra time comes to an end, and Ivanovic got what could prove to be the crucial goal in that opening 15 minutes. Liverpool now need a goal in the next quarter of an hour if they are to force penalties. Can they find it, or will Chelsea hold out?

KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the final 15 minutes of this match, and the visitors have made a change here. It is a final throw of the dice from Rodgers, who replaces Moreno with Rickie Lambert.

Chelsea have a chance to break as Costa slips the ball through for Ramires, who looks to be in. He decides to cut back due to the angle being against him, and Gerrard makes a vital last-ditch challenge. Chelsea keep possession, but Liverpool are eventually able to get it away.

YELLOW CARD! Positive play from Can as he powers forward down the right, knocking the ball between two blue shirts before being brought down by Oscar, who is shown a yellow card. Liverpool have a free kick in a promising area...

Gerrard's delivery is into a very dangerous position, and Zouma can only head it up rather than out. Courtois tries to claim the ball, but a foul is given against Skrtel on the keeper.

An aerial ball towards the back post causes Courtois some problems as he can only tip it away from Balotelli, who eventually collects the ball anyway. However, with options in the middle he goes for a lob from a very tight angle and puts his effort well off target.

SHOT! A good opening for a killer second for Chelsea, but the finish is poor from Ramires. The ball arrived to the midfielder on the right channel, but he rushed his effort and dragged it a long way wide.

Liverpool are looking really tired right now. They are struggling to close Chelsea down with the same sort of intensity that they have been doing all night, which is making it easier for the hosts to keep the ball.

YELLOW CARD! Can is the latest name in the book for a foul on Hazard as he tried to prevent the winger getting away from him down the left flank.

YELLOW CARD! Skrtel and Costa have again been embroiled in a fascinating battle tonight, and the duo clash again here. This time it is Skrtel with a cynical tackle on the Chelsea striker, and he is booked as a result.

Costa wins a free kick just inside his own half and immediately looks to take it quickly, despite Chelsea's lead at this stage of the game. It is a three-on-three situation, but Skrtel defends it really well and Liverpool survive.

CHELSEA SUB: A late change for Chelsea as Didier Drogba replaces Willian for a short cameo.

SHOTS! At one end Ramires tries to poke an effort goalwards, but it is straight at Mignolet. Liverpool get right up the other end and Lambert goes for glory himself from range, but his powerful effort is way too high.

Liverpool have just one minute of added time to find a goal here. Is there to be some late drama at Stamford Bridge?

A thrilling semi-final comes to an end after 210 gruelling minutes of football, and ultimately it is Chelsea who progress to the final of the League Cup. It is the first time in seven years that they have reached the final, and they did it courtesy of a 2-1 win on aggregate over Liverpool.

It was Ivanovic who got the only goal of the game this evening, rising to nod home in the fourth minute of extra time following some lax marking from Liverpool and Balotelli in particular. The second leg began at 1-1 after Hazard and Sterling both scored at Anfield, but it was Chelsea who ultimately edged through to Wembley.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for another thoroughly entertaining night of League Cup action as Chelsea progress to the final courtesy of a 2-1 aggregate victory over Liverpool. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around who reaction from both camps. Chelsea will find out their opponents when Sheffield United host Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow night, and we will have live coverage of all the action from that match too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!