The Cottagers visited Anfield on Wednesday for the first leg of the tie, which was won 2-1 by the Reds. Liverpool came away with the victory despite giving up an early goal to the London side, as a rapid-fire three minutes in the second half saw Curtis Jones equalise in the 68th minute before Cody Gakpo scored the match-winner in the 71st.

"We knew it was going to be a tough one," Fulham manager Marco Silva told Sky Sports. "You can't play for a final thinking it's not going to be really hard. Even three days ago they were able to play Arsenal away from home in the FA Cup.

"We did really well in the first half, more of a low block than we usually play but we controlled it well. They are a threat with the pace and quality of their attacking players and they can punish you at any time. We were ruthless in the first half but second half they pushed up a bit more."

The teams must now wait two weeks for the second leg, scheduled for Jan. 24 at Craven Cottage. With the tie moving to West London, Silva revealed that he intends to have his side play freely against the current Premier League leaders.

"We're playing at home, we're losing 2-1 but we're going to go for it for sure," he said. "In the second half we had good moments and we should've scored another goal at least but it is what it is at the top level of football.

"At home, with our fans behind us, it's going to be a great night for Fulham Football Club."