Van Dijk leaves it late as Liverpool beat Chelsea to secure League Cup
LIVERPOOL captain Virgil van Dijk headed the winner deep into extra time as Jurgen Klopp’s massively depleted side beat Chelsea 1-0 to claim a record-extending 10th Carabao Cup.
The Dutch defender, who controversially had another header ruled out at the same end in the second half after VAR intervention, rose above Mykhailo Mudryk to nod in Kostas Tsimikas’ corner in the 118th minute.
It was no more than the Netherlands international, lifting his first trophy as Liverpool captain, deserved after a monumental performance in defence in a win which seemed against the odds for long periods.
Klopp became the third Liverpool manager to win the trophy more than once as his long goodbye to his departure at the end of the season began with the first of a potential four pieces of silverware.
But for opposite number Mauricio Pochettino his long wait for an English domestic trophy continues.
A Liverpool side already missing 11 first-teamers, including Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szobozslai, who did not pass late fitness tests, lost Ryan Gravenberch inside half-an-hour. Their bench had six players aged 21 or under on the bench – with Trey Nyoni only 16 – and three of them were on the pitch at the end of regulation time.
By contrast Chelsea’s recent billion-pound spending spree meant Trevoh Chalobah, on the bench, was their only player in the squad remaining from the 2022 final meeting.
Van Dijk said: “It means so much, all the young boys on the pitch, if you see the extra time it’s incredible, I’m so proud of the team. Intense game for both sides, they had chances and we had chances, amazing. First trophy as a Liverpool captain, it’s all for the fans so let’s enjoy it.
"You should always savour the good moments and this is definitely one of them. We never take these things for granted. We are very, very blessed, and you see today as well it could have been the other way.
“We could have lost but we didn’t. We did a job, even with all the problems we had before the game. I’m so proud, proud to be part of this club, so proud of the boys.”