Klopp, first German manager to hold FA Cup
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he “could not be prouder” of his quadruple-chasing side after they beat Chelsea on penalties to win the FA Cup.
The Reds replicated their shootout win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final by triumphing 6-5 on spot-kicks after a goalless 90 minutes and extra time.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my boys, the shift they put in, how hard they fought,” Klopp said.
“It was an incredible game, a nerve-wracking shootout, my nails are gone.”
Klopp, 54, became the first German manager ever to lift the FA Cup after edging out compatriot Thomas Tuchel in a Wembley final for the second time in less than three months.
As in February’s final, the shootout went to sudden death with Alisson’s save from Mason Mount handing Liverpool the advantage before Konstantinos Tsimikas slotted home the winning penalty.
“It was intense- Chelsea would have deserved it exactly the same way we did, just like in the Carabao Cup- that’s how small the margins are,” added Klopp.
“Chelsea played outstanding but in the end there must be one winner and that was us today.”
The dramatic win kept alive Liverpool’s slim quadruple hopes- although the Premier League title may well elude them- with two games left, they trail leaders Manchester
City by three points and have a goal difference that is inferior by seven.
“The quadruple thing is absolutely outstanding that we can talk about it. It’s crazy,” added Klopp.
“It’s out of this world - this was game number 60 in an intense season.”
Henderson’s achievement
When Jordan Henderson became Liverpool’s captain in 2015, he took on the difficult responsibility at a club that had won just one one major trophy since 2010.
After Liverpool’s FA Cup final victory against Chelsea that went to a penalty shootout, it marked the club’s first FA Cup victory since 2006 and made Liverpool first club to win the League Cup and FA Cup in the same season multiple times, joining Arsenal (’92 and ’93), Chelsea (’06 and ’07) and Manchester City (’18 and ’19), according to ESPN Stats and Info.
And for Henderson, it was an opportunity for the midfielder to lift his sixth trophy as the club’s captain, becoming the first Liverpool captain to do so.
Henderson, who joined Liverpool in 2011, has captained teams that have won the Champions League, Premier League, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in addition to Saturday’s FA Cup win at Wembley Stadium in London.