"Just relief and excitement" - Harvey Elliott reacts as Liverpool reach EFL Cup final after S/F win over Fulham

Liverpool star Harvey Elliott has conveyed his relief after the Reds reached the EFL Cup final following their semi-final win over Fulham on Wednesday, January 24.

Jurgen Klopp and Co. came from behind at Anfield to win 2-1 in the first leg of the semi-final on January 10. They were the heavy favorites heading into the second leg at Craven Cottage on Wednesday.

Luis Diaz gave Liverpool the perfect start, finishing past Bernd Leno in the 11th minute. However, Fulham rallied back in the second half, leveling the scores in the 76th minute through Issa Diop's clever finish. The Reds hung on to their slender lead to win 3-2 on aggregate.

After the game, Elliott said (via Liverpool's official website):

“[It’s] just relief and excitement. 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.”

He added:

“The first goal and the last goal for us is vital. 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.”

The Reds face Chelsea in the EFL Cup final at Wembley on February 25.

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How did Liverpool fare against Fulham in the EFL Cup S/F?

Despite having numerous first-team players unavailable, Liverpool showed great character to progress to the EFL Cup final. Let's take a look at the stats to see how they fared against Fulham in the second leg of the semi-finals.

The tie was closely contested with the home side showing great determination to get back into the game. Liverpool had slightly more possession with 52 percent of the ball. They also attempted a total of 498 passes, with an accuracy of 81 percent. In contrast, Fulham had 48 percent possession and attempted 466 passes with an accuracy of 76 percent.

The Reds landed a total of 14 shots, with five being on target. On the other hand, Fulham had 11 shots in total, with five being on target as well.