Tom Cairney: I don't know whether Carabao Cup semi-final is more important than play-off showpieces

By Alessandro Schiavone at Stamford Bridge

Scotsman Cairney scored the promotion-winning goal for Fulham over Aston Villa in the play-off final at Wembley back in 2018.

And he also played a central role as the Cottagers bounced straight back following relegation by seeing off west London neighbours Brentford 2-1 two years later in what is dubbed the 'richest game in football'.

Hence when asked whether the return leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool in less than a fortnight represents the greatest showpiece of his career, he said: " Is it more important than the play-off final? I don't know. The club needed that at that time. But it's definitely up there. The chance to take Fulham to a League Cup final would be incredibile. We've got to give everything. We're 2-1 down.. it's gonna be a big event for us. A 1-0 deficit is not the end of the world. It will be an exciting game...."

Despite ending up on the losing side against Chelsea Cairney, who turns 33 next week, showed that he can hold his own against €100 million players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo as his ferocious display helped keep Marco Silva's men in it until the last kick of the game.

He said: "I love it, I enjoy it! It showcased what I've got, what we've got. Enzo and Moises are top, top players [who have] on and off moments at the minute as Chelsea are going through a transition period.

"But listen, when they click they are a top team so it just shows how far we've come. We were in the Championship 18 months ago. We should be proud but we can definitely improve..."