Sterling brilliantly levels with low strike
Can fouls Hazard for Chelsea pen
Second leg in London on 27 January
Final at Wembley on 1 March
Alistair Rodgers: Liverpool are finished. They had one year where they over achieved last year. They won't get anywhere near top four for a long time to come.
Bob Horton: Sakho and Can are gonna get munched. I feel sorry for Can being played out of position.
Michael Brannan: It'll be a tight one, one goal either way I think, but hope it's for us! Come on you reds!!
Ned, a Cardiff fan: Completed the five hour trip to Middlesbrough. three points would make the journey back bearable!
Image source, Getty ImagesLiverpool may need goals, but there's no place for Mario Balotelli again in their squad. Adam Lallana, Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert are all on the bench. Is Balotelli (at best) fourth-choice now?
He's the League Cup of Liverpool strikers.
Andy in Somerset: Liverpool need to win by at least two clear goals to have any chance of progressing, I think we can do, fancy Lazar Markovic and Raheem Sterling to score and Simon Mignolet keeping another clean sheet. Also a bonus Oscar isn't starting.
Andy in Armagh: Anytime a team managed by Jose Mourinho goes up against a Liverpool side there's always high drama. As a neutral I'm really looking forward to this one. My money's on a narrow away win in a real battle of a game.
William Dobbs: Liverpool have to get goals in this first leg to have a chance of getting through - I just can't see where they're coming from in that line-up.
BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty at Anfield
"Freezing temperatures at Anfield as the old rivalry is renewed with Liverpool meeting Chelsea in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has called for their fans to show respect for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard - still taunted about his slip against these opponents at Anfield in April as Liverpool slid to a defeat that proved so costly in a Premier League title context.
"Gerrard is leaving Liverpool for LA Galaxy at the end of the season and their fans know what they want. A banner held up in the Main Stand is emblazoned with the words 'Get Gerrard To Wembley' - and the captain is back tonight, replacing striker Fabio Borini in the only change from the side that won at Aston Villa on Saturday."
Mark Lawrenson
Football Analyst at Anfield for BBC 5 live
"Liverpool's season has been average compared with the last couple of years but they are getting there.
"The lads they've bought have started to improve. Sometimes it takes half a season to do that but in terms of a patch on last season, they're a long way away."
Image source, Getty ImagesMartin Odegaard is perhaps the best Liverpool fan in the world.
Ok, so he's maybe not the most committed. And he maybe hasn't been drinking around Europe with Jamie Carragher's dad.
But he has the world at his feet. If you're not familiar with his work, the 16-year-old has been likened to Lionel Messi and wooed by the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich in recent weeks.
While we wait to learn who has won the race for Stromsgodset's talented teenager, here are 10 things you may not know about him.
Have a look at the video. He can play a bit too...
Image source, @AlgerianoLFCLiverpool fan Adz on Twitter, external: "In the Kop end. New Gerrard banner is boss."
The banner reads "The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be."
Mark Lawrenson
Football Analyst at Anfield for BBC 5 live
"In the area where Nemaja Matic and John Obi Mikel are playing they're up against Philippe Coutinho and Steven Gerrard. A little bit of ballast in front of the back four.
"Jose loves to win here, He understands the history and tradition and he loves beating Liverpool."
Andrew Neill:, external While I'm all in favour of strong line-ups, this seems the perfect opportunity to give Kurt Zouma a bit more game time.
Navneet Gautam:, external LFC fans saying Chelsea aren't playing defensive like last season. Well, LFC don't really have strikers to be scared of anymore.
Nick Moreland:, external Emre Can starting in a back three against Diego Costa and Eden Hazard? Interesting.
Mark Lawrenson
Football Analyst at Anfield for BBC 5 live
"This is now Brendan Rodgers' team. He's been here for two-and-a-half years and he's implemented his own players.
"He's the only manager who's had to manage with Steven Gerrard coming to the end of his career and Jamie Carragher packing in. Two or three years ago, with those two at full tilt, this would be a completely different team."
A late call off as The New Saints FC v Carmarthen falls prey to a frozen pitch but there's no such worries at Anfield, where it looks cold but fine. The ground is slowly filling up, that chippy behind the Kop will be packed.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe League Cup was the first trophy Jose Mourinho won with Chelsea in his first spell a decade ago - will it be the first silverware of his second stint in charge?
Chelsea won the League Cup in 2005 against - you guessed it - Liverpool. Mateja Kezman was the unlikely hero of the hour, scoring the winner in a 3-2 win in Cardiff.
Liverpool's second goal by the way was scored by a contender for 'worst makeweight in a swap deal' of all time. Remember Antonio Nunez?
Image source, PAWhen Michael Owen signed for Real Madrid Liverpool got a player in exchange. They didn't make the most of it.
Dawid Zaborowski:, external Nice to see a strong line-up from Chelsea. We usually rest our key players but this time it looks like we will go for the win!
TalkMerseysideCity:, external It is clear that Rodgers's approach to this game is to get a draw so that we have a bit of work to do in the second leg.
Djethro Colmer:, external Chelsea's approach doesn't matter. They simply won't be beaten over two legs, their mentality is excellent.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says failing to sign Liverpool's Steven Gerrard remains one of his greatest transfer disappointments.
Mourinho was close to signing the midfielder in his first spell as Chelsea manager in 2005 before Gerrard chose to stay at Anfield.
"We did everything to try [to sign him] and it was almost there," said Mourinho.
"I was dreaming of Claude Makelele, Gerrard and Frank Lampard in midfield."
We know that doesn't work Jose...
Mourinho added: "We were playing in a proper triangle without a number 10 and playing Maka in front of the defenders. Me, Mr Abramovich and [former Chelsea chief executive] Peter Kenyon at that time, we dreamed of that.
"His people were open to him joining a top side like Chelsea. But to me personally he never said he would come. Never."
Image source, PAIt's the wrong cup but if we have half as good a game as this classic Liverpool semi-final, we'll be happy tonight.
Click here to watch highlights from 1990 when Crystal Palace took on Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park.
Steve Coppell and Kenny Dalglish faced one another in the dugout for this clash, with Coppell's Palace having been turned over 9-0 in the league by Dalglish's Liverpool earlier that season.
Palace were without key striker Ian Wright and were clear underdogs against the team that would finish the season as Division One champions.
The best bit is the sound of John Barnes' penalty as it hits the net. I don't think we've got the sound quite right anymore. Have a listen...
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea were in sensational touch at the weekend as they wiped the floor with Swansea, which led to manager Jose Mourinho praising a "perfect game." But he still had time for a gripe, warning his players they must win titles if they want to be remembered.
First-half doubles by Oscar and Diego Costa and a late Andre Schurrle goal moved the Premier League leaders five points clear of Manchester City.
"It was a perfect game - everything went in our direction," Mourinho said.
"But there is no history without titles so if we play fantastic and don't win cups no-one will remember this team."
A League Cup for starters boss?
Brendan Rodgers knows how to stoke us all up, as he proclaims that "0-0 is not a bad result."
Come on!
BBC Radio 5 live
Radio 5 live is brimful of League Cup action tonight. Build-up from Anfield starts at 19:00 (GMT), with match commentary starting at 19:45. John Murray is the main main with the mic, ably assisted by former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson on summariser duty. After the match, it's your turn to get involved with the Football Social from 22:00.
Call 0500 909693 to have your say.
You can follow all the Afcon 2015 action as it continues at 19:00 (GMT) when Mali take on Cameroon to complete the first round of fixtures. Cameroon stormed through qualifying, coming through their group unbeaten, having conceded just one goal.
Roma midfielder Seydou Keita, 35, starts for Mali as he features in his seventh Cup of Nations.