Cardiff City

Tom Heaton Impressive display. Produced good stops to deny Suárez, Skrtel and Downing as well as a great save from Gerrard's penalty kick. 8/10

Kevin McNaughton Struggled against Downing early on but made a great tackle to deny Suárez in the second half. Played a part in Mason's goal. 6/10

Mark Hudson Made several vital blocks as well as a superb tackle on Carroll in the first half. Suffered with cramp and was withdrawn. 7/10

Ben Turner Solid alongside Hudson, the rugged central defender was superb defensively and also grabbed the equaliser in extra time. 8/10

Andrew Taylor Got away with a handball that could have led to a Liverpool penalty. Later made a goal-line clearance to keep out Suárez. 6/10

Joe Mason Took his goal confidently, slipping the ball between Reina's legs. Tired in the second half and was replaced by Kiss. 7/10

Peter Whittingham Playing deeper, the former Aston Villa midfielder always used the ball intelligently, linking up play well when Cardiff broke. 7/10

Aron Gunnarsson Grafted to prevent Liverpool from dominating the first half. Long throw not quite up to Rory Delap's standard. 6/10

Don Cowie A constant source of creativity. Set up two Miller chances and provided the pass he should have scored from in normal time. 8/10

Kenny Miller Architect of Mason's goal with astute pass and busy throughout but squandered great chance to win the game in 88th minute. 7/10

Rude Gestede Frenchman had the job of leading the line and he worked tirelessly, often chasing lost causes and feeding off scraps. 6/10

Substitutes

Kiss (Mason, 90); Gerrard (Hudson, 99); Blake (McNaughton, 106)

Not used Marshall, Earnshaw, Conway, Naylor

Liverpool

José Reina Had little to do as Liverpool bossed the play. Did not get close to repeating his 2006 penalty heroics but did not need to. 6/10

Glen Johnson Unlucky with a 20‑yard shot that hit the bar in the second minute and composed throughout. Excellent penalty, too. 7/10

Martin Skrtel Came out on top in his battle with the strong Gestede while giving his team the cutting edge they otherwise lacked. 7/10

Daniel Agger Brought authority to his own defence and troubled the opponents' in the process. Won several important headers at set pieces. 7/10

José Enrique Troubled by Mason's movement and a poor first touch cost his team on the attack. Loose marking when Cardiff took the lead. 5/10

Jordan Henderson Started on the right in a bid to improve the supply but offered precious little. No surprise when withdrawn. 4/10

Steven Gerrard Drove his team forward whenever possible. Often joined the attack but his finishing was wayward, even in the shootout. 7/10

Charlie Adam Helped Liverpool keep their shape and tempo when others may have panicked and improved defensively as the game wore on. 7/10

Stewart Downing A surprise choice ahead of Bellamy but was his side's best outlet in the first half and provided a steady supply in the second. 8/10

Luis Suárez His first pass went straight out of play and set the tone for a tireless yet luckless game. He improved as the match went on. 7/10

Andy Carroll Fought hard against a solid Cardiff defence but space and chances were at a premium. Won header that led to Skrtel's equaliser. 7/10

Substitutes

Bellamy (Henderson, 58); Carragher (Agger, 87); Kuyt (Carroll, 103)

Not used Doni, Kelly, Maxi, Spearing