Liverpool won the Carabao Cup despite having 12 senior players missing through injury. Mohamed Salah and Jürgen Klopp were delighted at the end.
Liverpool didn’t just win the Carabao Cup at Wembley, but did so in a frankly bizarre manner. Who had Jayden Danns down as a key man in the final? Jürgen Klopp had absolutely no doubts about him, Bobby Clark and the rest.
Virgil van Dijk was the match-winner, Alexis Mac Allister was sublime, and Caoimhín Kelleher proved his worth and then some. This was quite a show of character from a team that was already missing 11 senior stars before kick-off.
It might have taken to the dying moments of the match before Liverpool got over the line and confirmed itself as the victor, but it was the side on top during the extra-time period. Klopp’s men, rather than Mauricio Pochettino’s, were the ones that looked likeliest to be able to avoid penalty kicks taking place, and so it proved.
Here’s what Liverpool.com learned at Wembley Stadium and what you might have missed. That’s part one of the quadruple bid done and dusted. Next up is the FA Cup fifth round tie with Southampton at Anfield that takes place on Wednesday night.
One thing we learned
Virgil van Dijk has had some big moments during his Liverpool career but this week he scored a vital goal against Luton Town to ensure that Liverpool remains top of the Premier League table and followed that up with a cup-winning header. In fact, he scored two cup-worthy headers, only for the first to be chalked off for an offside offense by Wataru Endō.
Caoimhín Kelleher had to make a couple of big saves but Liverpool deserved to win the game. Van Dijk was immense at the back and even after he had been thwarted the first time, he came back for more and simply did the same again with a few minutes of extra-time remaining.
Biggest takeaway
In Ryan Gravenberch (21), Conor Bradley (20), and Harvey Elliott (20), Liverpool started three players aged 21 or younger in a major final for the very first time in the club’s history. Off the bench came Jayden Danns (18), Bobby Clark (19) and James McConnell (19), as well as Jarell Quansah (20).
And there lies Klopp’s biggest legacy. Trophies? Yes. But a nod to the future and what comes next. Even more so. This was the present, of course, but it is also a sign of things to come. Whether it is Xabi Alonso or someone else who takes over from Klopp in the summer, they will have an exceptional young group of players with almost limitless potential to continue to develop.
A moment you might have missed
While Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Núñez were not involved in the game, they certainly enjoyed it. Núñez and Curtis Jones, who is also injured, were spotted leaping toward the pitch at the final whistle and Klopp joked afterward that he would have to check with the medical team that they weren’t making their injuries up.
Salah wasn’t always happy, though. When Moisés Caicedo crashed into Ryan Gravenberch, causing what looks like it could be a serious injury to the Dutchman, Klopp was fuming on the touchline. Behind him, Salah was caught by the TV cameras looking similarly angry with the lack of a whistle from the referee. Chris Cavanagh somehow didn’t even give a foul.
