Jurgen Klopp hailed his side’s Carabao Cup win as ‘insane’ after Liverpool beat Chelsea in extra time at Wembley.
Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal deep into extra time as Liverpool won 1-0 to claim the first silverware of the season, with the Dutch defender heading in Kostas Tsimikas’ corner at the near post.
The Reds entered into the game without a host of senior stars including Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, but an inexperienced side dug in to claim the trophy.
An action-packed game saw both teams spurn good chances, with a combination of goalkeepers Caoimhín Kelleher and Djordje Petrovic, and the woodwork, keeping the game goalless. Both sides also saw goals disallowed for offside, after Raheem Sterling and Van Dijk found the net.
As penalties loomed, Van Dijk found a winner as he glanced home from a set-piece to earn Liverpool a record-extending 10th League Cup crown.
It was an extraordinary win for Liverpool whose substitutes bench contained six academy graduates and five teenagers, with Conor Bradley, Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns, James McConnell and Jarrel Quansah all playing significant minutes as Klopp put his faith in youth.
Klopp could not hide his pride after basking in the celebrations after an ‘insane’ afternoon for his team at Wembley.
“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,” he said to Sky Sports.
“The craziest thing is we deserved it. We had lucky moments, they had lucky moments. The boys showed up, it was really cool.
“I am sure we brought on all the kids! We needed fresh legs, they were fresh but very young, but they did the job.
“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. But not only them, how about Harvey Elliot for 120 minutes, [Wataru] Endo walked to the ceremony with the stiffest legs.
“We didn’t mention Conor [Bradley], he was so good. Caoimhin [Kelleher], he was so good. We have the best keeper in the world and the best number two.”
Liverpool remain in the hunt for a quadruple this season and attention now turns to the club’s FA Cup fifth round tie with Southampton on Wednesday night.
Klopp admits it will be another difficult test for his side who are down to the bare bones and lost Ryan Gravenberch in the first half at Wembley.
“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.
“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.”
