Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes that Chelsea have their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to thank for being in the League Cup final.
Chelsea saw off the Reds following a hard fought semi-final second leg encounter at Stamford Bridge this evening, with Branislav Ivanovic scoring the only goal of the game in extra time to hand the Blues a 2-1 aggregate victory.
In a fiercely contested game in which tempers often flared, Liverpool had a number of good chances, Philippe Coutinho and Alberto Moremo going close, along with Raheem Sterling.
But Courtois was in outstanding form and Rodgers is in no doubt that the Belgian is the reason Chelsea are heading to Wembley instead of his side.
He told the BBC: "I thought we had a number of opportunities – Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho. If you assess it over two legs their goalkeeper has won them the tie. He is a world-class keeper.
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"I thought tactically our pressing was very, very good. We created chances and gave them problems.
"Through to half time I don't think they had a shot on target. They are a top-class team and very competitive. This competition has allowed us to regain our identity. Now we have to move on", the Liverpool manager added.
And Rodgers dubbed Courtois the "barrier" that stopped Liverpool from achieving their aim of reaching the final, in both legs of the semi-final, before going on to stress they must now focus on finishing in the top four in the Premier League.
"We were better in every aspect of our game but we just couldn't get the big goals. Sometimes you have a barrier in your way and tonight and last week it was Courtois.
"We are very determined to get back in the Champions League places so we have to stay focused."
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