Liverpool won the League Cup in dramatic fashion as Virgil van Dijk’s header late in extra-time sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s injury-hit side finished a gruelling clash with a host of raw youngsters on the pitch, but it was their experienced captain who clinched the club’s 10th League Cup triumph.
Van Dijk earlier had a goal controversially disallowed by VAR, but the Dutch defender pounced to nod home with just two minutes left.
It was Liverpool’s first trophy following Klopp’s bombshell announcement that he will step down at the end of this season.
The German will hope Liverpool’s first silverware since the 2022 FA Cup will be the springboard for an incredible farewell tour.
Quadruple-chasing Liverpool sit top of the Premier League, face Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday and take on Sparta Prague in the Europa League last 16.
It was another bitter Wembley experience for Chelsea, who lost the 2022 League Cup and FA Cup finals against Liverpool.
Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has asked Chelsea fans not to judge him on “winning titles” in the midst of a troubled first season in charge.
But Chelsea remain without domestic silverware since the 2018 FA Cup and had only themselves to blame after missing a host of chances in normal time.
Ravaged by injuries to 11 players, Liverpool’s list of star absentees included Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Dominik Szoboszlai.
That meant starts for 20-year-olds Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott, while six of Klopp’s substitutes were 21 or younger.
GOALS RULED OUT
Despite their youthful lineup, Liverpool settled quickly as Luis Diaz led the charge.
Taking advantage of Chelsea’s hesitant defending, Diaz advanced into the area for a fierce strike that forced a good save from Djordje Petrovic.
Against the run of play, Chelsea should have taken the lead with their first incisive raid.
Conor Gallagher’s cross deflected to Cole Palmer just six yards out, but his strike produced a superb save from Caoimhin Kelleher.
Ryan Gravenberch joined Liverpool’s ever-growing injury list when he was stretchered off after the midfielder’s leg twisted awkwardly in a challenge with Moises Caicedo.
Raheem Sterling thought he had given Chelsea the lead with a close-range finish from Nicolas Jackson’s cross, but the goal was disallowed for a tight offside against the Senegal striker before his assist.
Responding to Chelsea’s improvement, Liverpool were inches away from taking the lead through Cody Gakpo, whose glancing header from Andrew Robertson’s cross hit the far post.
Liverpool kept coming and Bradley’s goalbound shot was brilliantly blocked by Levi Colwill, who threw himself into the fray to repel the close-range effort.
Liverpool looked to have broken the deadlock on the hour when Van Dijk climbed above Ben Chilwell to head in Robertson’s free-kick.
But VAR intervened, prompting referee Chris Kavanagh to disallow the goal for offside against Wataru Endo, who blocked Colwill from marking the Dutch defender.
Axel Disasi should have rubbed salt into Liverpool’s wounds but the Chelsea defender made a complete hash of a close-range chance.
Chelsea went close again as Gallagher met Palmer’s cross with a flick that cannoned off the far post.
Gallagher wasted a golden opportunity to win it in the final minutes, receiving Palmer’s pass in acres of space but taking a heavy touch that allowed Kelleher to save.
In a pulsating finale, Kelleher made two more saves from Palmer and Christopher Nkunku in quick succession to force extra-time.
Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Jarell Quansah and Jayden Danns were all on by now, but if Liverpool’s youngsters lacked Chelsea’s experience, they were never overawed.
Danns almost guided his header over Petrovic and Elliott was inches away when he volleyed against the post.
Liverpool would not be denied and with penalties just two minutes away, Van Dijk met Kostas Tsimikas’s corner with a header that flashed past Petrovic as Klopp raised his arms with a smile that bordered on disbelief.
Jurgen Klopp admitted injury-hit Liverpool’s 1-0 win against Chelsea in the League Cup final was “absolutely insane” as his side triumphed at Wembley despite finishing the match with a host of raw youngsters.
Virgil van Dijk’s header with two minutes left in extra-time sealed Liverpool’s first trophy since Klopp’s bombshell announcement that he will leave at the end of this season.
It was a remarkable success given Klopp was forced to turn to Liverpool’s youth academy graduates after a series of injuries had deprived him of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Alisson Becker and Joel Matip among others.
While Liverpool’s experienced captain bagged the winner, Van Dijk would not have been able to finish as the hero without the contributions of Klopp’s kids.
Klopp started with 20-year-olds Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott before introducing Bobby Clark (19), James McConnell (19), Jayden Danns (18) and Jarell Quansah (21) from the bench.
“What happened here is absolutely insane. These things are not possible, what an academy full of character, it’s unbelievable what happened,” Klopp said.
“I’m so proud that I could be part of that, wow. We deserve it, we had lucky moments they had lucky moments and the boys showed up, it was really cool.
“I’m pretty sure when we brought on all the kids people thought ‘OK that’s it now, they give up, they have a game on Wednesday’ but that was really not the case.
“We thought we need fresh legs and the fresh legs were fresh but very young. They did the job.”
Liverpool had the most teenagers in a League Cup final since Arsenal in 2007.
And Klopp said Liverpool’s success with such a depleted and untried line-up was due to the hard work done to prepare his youngsters for their big moment.
“The boys have trained for a long time with us, they know exactly what we have to do. They are a pain, to be honest, that is what you have to be in these moments,” he said.
‘WE FIGHT FOR EVERYTHING’
Liverpool’s injury problems showed no signs of abating at Wembley when midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was stretchered off in the first half after a challenge from Moises Caicedo that left Klopp fuming.
“It was not even a foul? Then the fourth official explaining we cannot give a card…good idea. This situation was obvious for me, everything you need for a card,” he said.
“They did an x-ray on Gravenberch, it is not broken but the ligaments got something. I actually feel really bad, but everything else is really good.”
With Liverpool due to face Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday before returning to their bid to retain pole position in the Premier League, Klopp has little due to dwell on their Wembley success.
“We don’t have a team right now for Wednesday. The guys who came on can maybe play again, the rest will get treatment on Monday,” he said.
“I love this country to bits, but the schedule is not made for winning a lot. We will see the price we have to pay, but we fight for everything then we see what comes next.
“Somehow against Southampton, there will be a team in Liverpool shirts.”
Klopp celebrated with his traditional fist-pumping antics in front of the jubilant Liverpool supporters, but he said he was still coming to terms with the seventh major trophy of his reign.
“I finally found my family in the stands, they were very happy. The rest, I need to process,” he said.
