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Live Commentary: Carling Cup final - Cardiff City vs. Liverpool

Follow the Carling Cup final between Cardiff and Liverpool with live updates from Sports Mole.

Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of this afternoon's Carling Cup final between Cardiff City and Liverpool.

Liverpool are the competition's most successful club, having won the trophy seven times, while Cardiff are in the final for the first time.

Surprisingly however, the Anfield club are yet to play at the new Wembley, while this is the Bluebirds' fourth visit in five seasons.

Malky Mackay's men will hope to end a dramatic run to the final, which has seen them win on penalties twice, with a shock win at the national stadium.

> Full team news for the final

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Liverpool win the Carling Cup!

The Reds claim their first trophy in six years after an enthralling game at Wembley. Cardiff will feel hard done by but should be proud of their stellar effort. A brilliant final to end a great, great day of English football.

Penalty 10: Anthony Gerrard steps up and MISSES! Liverpool win!. Cardiff 2-3 Liverpool

Penalty 9: Glen Johnson fires high into the net. Cardiff 2-3 Liverpool.

Penalty 8: Whittingham also scores. Cardiff 2-2 Liverpool.

Penalty 7: Downing converts. Cardiff 1-2 Liverpool

Penalty 6: Gestede hits the other post. We're back level. Cardiff 1-1 Liverpool.

Penalty 5: Kuyt steps up and slots in. Cardiff 1-1 Liverpool

Penalty 4: Don Cowie finally puts one away. Cardiff 1-0 Liverpool.

Penalty 3: Charlie Adam smashes high, wide and handsome! Cardiff 0-0 Liverpool.

Penalty 2: Kenny Miller's next up and he too MISSES! No save needed from Reina as Miller's pen rattles the post. Cardiff 0-0 Liverpool.

Penalty 1: Stevie G steps up and Heaton produces an outstanding save to deny the Liverpool captain. Cardiff 0-0 Liverpool.

FULL-TIME: We're going to penalties!

This Sunday afternoon has produced more twists and turns than a Curly Wurly bar! The day will culminate with a Wembley shootout for the Carling Cup. Penalty-by-penalty coverage to follow.

118 min: GOAL! CARDIFF EQUALISE! BEN TURNER! 2-2!

Amazing! Cardiff win a pair of corners, from the first Dirk Kuyt brilliantly clears off the line before Turner arrives at the back post and edges out Kuyt before poking home. Can they hold out for a shootout?

117 min: Cardiff win a corner but Reina punches clear. Three and a bit minutes left for the men in blue.

115 min: He may not be the most technically gifted but Kuyt looks to have won this game and perhaps should have started instead of Carroll from the off.

109 min: Can Cardiff do anything to pull this back? They look dejected and Liverpool should be able to keep the ball for the remaining ten. Dalglish will certainly hope they can.

108 min: GOAL! Dirk Kuyt puts Liverpool in front! 2-1!

Kuyt breaks free and his initial effort is awful but the ball hits a defender and rebounds back to the curly blonde who slides in and beats Heaton at his near post. Cardiff hearts broken.

107 min: Kuyt breaks free down the right and his cross reaches Suarez but the Uruguayan's first touch is poor and Cardiff clear.

HALF-TIME IN EXTRA TIME: Still 1-1 with just 15 minutes of playing time remaining. Glen Johnson threatened with the final kick of the half but his left-foot effort flew wide.

104 min: Nearly for Bellamy who cuts inside on to his right foot before firing just over.

103 min: Yet another corner for Liverpool and this time Downing does find the forehead of Carroll but the Englishman's effort drifts just wide. It's the last action of the game for Carroll who is replaced by the Reds' regular penalty taker Dirk Kuyt. Kenny settling for spot-kicks?

98 min: Cardiff doing very little in Liverpool's half at the moment. The Bluebirds will be happy to take this to the lottery of a shootout. Substitute Kiss is booked for a tug on Bellamy before Steven Gerrard's cousin Anthony replaces Mark Hudson for Welsh side.

93 min: Stevie G's not got his shooting boots on today. The usually reliable midfielder again blasts high from a short corner.

91 min: Cardiff make their first change as Filip Kiss replaces goalscorer Joe Mason before Luis Suarez forces Heaton into a low save. From the resulting corner Suarez's header is cleared off the line! Good start to the half for the Reds.

FULL-TIME: One apiece after 90 then. Extra time looms. Which side is the fitter? Who can summon the energy levels required to claim the Carling Cup? Stay tuned.

90+1 min: The script was written for Gerrard but he lashes over from the edge of the area. Looks like we'll be playing another half an hour.

90 min: Just as the fourth official announces four minutes of injury time, Luis Suarez ghosts in behind the Cardiff defence but his first touch is poor before he tries an audacious attempt with the outside of his boot which sails harmlessly wide.

88 min: Massive for the Welsh side. They take a free kick quickly and Kenny Miller finds space in the area. It really is an easy chance, especially for a player of Miller's calibre, but he blasts over. Huge miss.

86 min: Jamie Carragher's on for the Reds as Agger jogs to the bench.

85 min: Suarez is an expert at finding pockets of space and once more he drops off to the right before cutting back to Adam who cuts across the ball but finds the palms of Heaton.

83 min: Chance for Cardiff as Ben Turner rises highest at the back post but can't direct his header on target.

82 min: Dalglish's men have had plenty of corners, one of which produced the goal, but the delivery has generally been poor.

80 min: Peter Whittingham is one of the most lethal in the Football League from a dead-ball situation and he has a chance from around 25 yards. He fails to delivers and strikes the wall. Ten minutes left of normal time.

78 min: Stewart Downing has a go from outside the box but Heaton dives low to his left and parries.

76 min: Enrique lays in Bellamy but we all know he doesn't want to score and he tries to find Carroll but the chance peters out.

73 min: There will of course be extra time and, if needed, penalties to decide the winner of the Carling Cup. Liverpool are obviously still heavy favourites to take the title but Cardiff are more than capable of nicking this.

68 min: Cardiff have responded well to the goal and have had a bit more of the ball in the Liverpool half. A quarter of the 90 left for one of these teams to snatch the league cup.

62 min: Bellamy apparently took no part in celebrating the equaliser, just ran straight back to his own half as he said he would pre match.

60 min: GOAL! Skrtel! 1-1!

The Reds are level through the ever-present Skrtel who slides the ball home after Suarez hit the post following a scramble in the area. Game. On.

58 min: As predicted, Bellamy replaces the unimpressive Henderson. The Welshman receives a standing ovation from both camps as he enters the fray.

55 min: Gunnarsson's throw is a dangerous weapon for Cardiff and Pepe Reina almost makes a mess of the high ball under pressure.

52 min: Adam's left foot looks dangerous but he can't trouble Heaton before Henderson is booked for a rash challenge. I can see him coming off for Bellamy shortly.

50 min: Suarez nicks the ball from Hudson and forces Heaton to palm wide. Carroll should have arguably been on hand to turn home but he idly stayed at the edge of the area.

49 min: Close to two for Cardiff as Liverpool are split wide open by Don Cowie's backheel. Kenny Miller strikes first time but drags his shot wide of Reina's right-hand post.

47 min: Early free kick in a dangerous position for Dalglish's men but Gerrard's delivery doesn't beat the first man. The ball falls to Henderson but his shot almost goes out for a throw-in. Poor.

46 min: No changes for either side as Liverpool get the second 45 underway.

HALF-TIME: Well, well, well. Few would have predicted the Bluebirds being ahead at the break. They're not great value for their lead but no one in a blue shirt will care. The team from Wales are just 45 minutes away from a memorable cup triumph.

44 min: Free kick 25 yards out for Liverpool and Gerrard swings in the ball but Skrtel's offside and can't head in anyway.

41 min: Almost for Suarez but he can't find a shot after receiving the ball inside the area. Liverpool want a goal before the break here.

39 min: Downing's absolutely tearing up McNaughton and this time he finds a decent cross. Jordan Henderson however swipes at thin air before Gerrard pokes over at the back post.

36 min: Boyhood Cardiff fan Craig Bellamy, who's said that he doesn't want to play a part in a Liverpool winning goal, is warming up on the touchline. His dynamism would definitely help the Reds.

32 min: Penalty shout for the Reds as the ball seems to strike a Cardiff hand before Adam's half volley flies inches wide. Pressure building.

31 min: Jose Enrique is allowed to run and run before cutting back on to his not-so-trusty right foot and curling over in an attempt to emulate Johnson's earlier effort.

28 min: No real chances of note for the favourites since the goal. Downing seems to be getting the better of McNaughton but there's no one to convert his deliveries.

24 min: Carroll swipes over uglily after flicking on well to Suarez who almost found a reverse pass to the onrushing Gerrard.

22 min: Suarez is dropping deep and receiving a lot of ball but he's doing a bit too much at the moment. Needs to get his head up.

19 min: GOAL! Cardiff 1-0! Mason!

Well I didn't see that coming. Liverpool resume their dominance and Carroll sees a header saved before the Championship side take a shock lead. Kenny Miller threads to Mason who just has Pepe Reina to beat and he drills under the body of the Spaniard to send the Welsh half of the ground into raptures.

14 min: Wembley really does look special today. Packed to the rafters with the crowd in good song, definitely one of the world's best arenas. Not much happening on the field at the moment.

10 min: First period of sustained possession for Cardiff and they create a good chance from it. After some patient build up play a clever flick finds Kenny Miller but he blazes over from 12 yards.

6 min: Downing twists and turns after a lovely outside-of-the-boot pass from his partner on the left Jose Enrique but the Englishman can't find a red shirt in the area. Liverpool really on top now.

5 min: Carroll looks to get the better of Hudson from Henderson's cross but he commits a foul in heading over Heaton's now settled crossbar.

2 min: Almost 1-0 for the Reds as Glen Johnson rattles the crossbar. Cardiff had started better but Gerrard ran all of 50 yards before the ball found Johnson on the edge. He curls an effort against the underside of the bar before Gerrard lashes over.

1 min: Mark Clattenburg blows on his whistle for the first time today and Cardiff get us underway.

0 min: The two managers lead the sides out on to the Wembley turf before handshakes are exchanged and we're just about ready to go.

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3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
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8Aston Villa125431919019
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12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


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