Reds are pushed all the way as Alisson keeps up hopes of quadruple
CHELSEA 0 LIVERPOOL 0 (Liverpool win 6-5 on penalties)
Jurgen Klopp has revealed the secret to Liverpool’s penalty shoot-out success as neuroscience.
Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties to lift the FA Cup at Wembley on Saturday, defeating the Blues for the second time this season in a cup final shoot-out.
The Reds toppled Chelsea 11-10 in February’s Carabao Cup final, with Caoimhin Kelleher rifling the winning spot-kick in a stunning set of penalties.
Kostas Tsimikas slotted the sudden-death winner this time around as Liverpool completed the set of top titles under Klopp.
And the Reds’ German manager paid tribute to footballing neuroscientists Neuro11 as the secret weapon behind his side’s penalty acumen.
“In the end we all know penalty shoot-out is a lottery, that’s how it is; but we did it again,” said Klopp.
“We work together with the company Neuro11, four guys from Germany.
“They got in contact with us a few years ago. They are neuroscientists and they said, ‘We can train penalty shooting’.
“We said, ‘Really? That sounds interesting, come over’. And so this trophy is for them, just like the Carabao Cup was.”
Liverpool kept their remarkable drive for an unprecedented quadruple alive by powering through the penalty shoot-out after another goalless draw in a domestic final against Chelsea.
Mo Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Andy Robertson came off with injuries, but all three Reds stars appear to have avoided serious problems.
Klopp insisted that clean sweep of League Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League remains as much on as off – mainly due to Manchester City’s league dominance.
Pep Guardiola’s City lead Liverpool by three points in the league, but could double that advantage with a win at West Ham on Sunday.
“The quadruple is on if you want but it is off as well because of the situation,” said Klopp.
“But winning both domestic cups is really special. Trent Alexander-arnold is the youngest
player to have won all six major trophies at 23.
“City is in this point three points up and seven goals ahead on goal difference.
“So now if they win tomorrow, with all respect to West Ham, if they win say 4-0, then it’s six points, before we start at Southampton on Tuedsay, and 11 goals.
“Then we have to win both our games, they have to lose a game and; it’s silly.
“So let’s just see what happens tomorrow.
“If they lose against West Ham I start thinking. If they don’t, we will judge that and go from there.
“It’s absolutely outstanding that we can even talk about the quadruple. It’s crazy.
“We have no clue at this moment what the line-up will be at Southampton on Tuesday.
“I know that my team knows exactly what I think about them, that’s most important.
“This is again a trophy for the whole club.
“When we came on the bus we
could see what it means to the people, then on the pitch you could see what it means to the players.
“That we could make it, is absolutely out of this world, it’s massive.
“All respect to Chelsea, what a team, what a performance.”
Just 76 days after the Reds had edged past Thomas Tuchel’s men on penalties following a scoreless Carabao Cup Final, Wembley witnessed another gripping shootout between the sides.
Nothing could split them after 90 minutes and extra-time again, with Alisson coming up trumps in the shoot-out as Liverpool won their first FA Cup since 2006.
Edouard Mendy prevented Sadio Mane striking the winner after Cesar Azpilicueta had hit a post, only for the Brazil goalkeeper to deny Mason Mount, before Kostas Tsimikas struck to seal a 6-5 win.
It was a third FA Cup final defeat in as many years for Chelsea, who were denied a 22nd and final trophy of the Roman Abramovich era in gutting fashion.