Liverpool edges Chelsea to lift cup
LONDON - Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk powered home a header in extra time as his side beat Chelsea 1-0 in the League Cup final yesterday to clinch a record-extending 10th title in the competition and crown Juergen Klopp’s final season in charge with silverware.
Van Dijk rose high above his marker to head a corner back across goal and into the far corner in the 118th minute, sparking wild celebrations among the Liverpool supporters massed at that end of Wembley stadium. With the club leading the Premier League and still in the FA Cup and Europa League, Liverpool’s fans will hope the latest triumph provides the launch pad for more trophies in Klopp’s swansong campaign, with a quadruple still within reach.
The Liverpool manager, who said last month he would leave after eight years at the end of the season, will take particular satisfaction in a victory achieved in testing circumstances, with the club facing an injury crisis that forced Klopp to put his faith in a host of youngsters who did not let him down.
“What happened here was absolutely insane, these things are not possible. The team, a squad, an academy full of character. I am so proud I could be part of that tonight,” Klopp said.
“The craziest thing is we deserved it. We had lucky moments, they had lucky moments. The boys showed up, it was really cool.”
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino’s hopes of igniting the season after a difficult start to his reign were dashed, with the Blues becoming the first team ever to lose six successive domestic major finals in English football history, with the last three of those defeats coming against Liverpool.
It was a familiar outcome for the Argentine coach whose time in England has seen him go close on numerous occasions without landing any silverware.