Wembley turns yellow and blue for Ukraine at League Cup final

Liverpool and Chelsea’s players stood in a show of support for war-torn Ukraine ahead of Sunday’s League Cup final at Wembley.

Amid the Russian invasion of its neighbour, Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson carried flowers in the country’s yellow and blue colours onto the pitch before kick-off.

Both teams stood for a minute’s applause, while a message on the stadium scoreboard in yellow and blue read “Football Stands Together”.

Liverpool and Chelsea’s fans were seen with Ukraine flags in their sections of Wembley.

Chelsea’s English defender Trevoh Chalobah (4R) clears the ball from the path of Liverpool’s Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk (R) during the English League Cup final football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium, north-west London on February 27, 2022. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

Wembley’s iconic arch was lit up in Ukraine colours on Saturday evening.

Chelsea released a statement on Sunday saying the club was praying for peace in the wake of the invasion.

But they were criticised for failing to mention Russia in the brief message.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said the statement, which called the situation “horrific and devastating”, reflected the opinion of everyone at the club, including their Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

A ‘Football Stands Together’ message is displayed in Ukrainian colours ahead of the English League Cup final football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium, north-west London on February 27, 2022. – Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich handed over control of Chelsea to trustees of its charitable foundation on Saturday as Premier League players showed their support for war-torn Ukraine. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO