Juergen Klopp on Sunday challenged Liverpool to chase a historic quadruple after the Reds won the League Cup final in a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Chelsea.
Klopp’s side clinched the first of the four major trophies they are competing for this term when Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga smashed his penalty high over the crossbar.
Kepa was the only player to miss in the shoot-out, as Liverpool converted all 11 of their kicks and Chelsea netted 10.
Photo: AFP
It was a fittingly tense conclusion to an encounter that finished 0-0 after extra-time, despite both sides creating numerous chances.
Liverpool had a Joel Matip goal controversially disallowed for a dubious offside against Virgil van Dijk in the second half.
Chelsea were denied three times by the offside flag, with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel furious that Romelu Lukaku’s effort did not survive a video assistant referee check.
Liverpool’s record ninth League Cup triumph was their first domestic knockout tournament triumph since 2012.
Having failed to win a trophy last season, Klopp believes his players can use the momentum from their Wembley success to fuel their bid to become the first English club to enjoy a trophy clean-sweep.
The Reds are six points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with a game in hand, hold a 2-0 lead heading into their Champions League last-16 second leg against Inter Milan and host Norwich in the FA Cup fifth round tomorrow.
“This is the start. We are not silly. You need luck. We have to survive, work hard, and we have to play on Wednesday again, which I cannot believe at this moment,” Klopp said.
“Anfield will be rocking because of this result and hopefully we can deliver a game to enjoy,” he added.
Liverpool’s final kick in the shoot-out was coolly converted by keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who was again deputizing for first-choice Allison Becker after playing all but one game in the competition this season.
“The game he played was absolutely incredible. I can remember two brilliant saves. He showed his full skill set in the penalty shoot-out,” Klopp said.
“It was like two lions going at each other. It was absolutely crazy. It was one of the most spectacular shoot-outs I ever saw,” he added.
Before kick-off Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson carried flowers in Ukraine’s yellow and blue colors.
Both teams stood for a minute’s applause, while a scoreboard message in yellow and blue blazed: “Football stands together,” and Liverpool and Chelsea fans were seen with Ukraine flags.
One banner in blue and yellow read: “You’ll never walk alone” in reference to Liverpool’s terrace anthem.
Chelsea also said they were “praying for peace,” after Russian owner Roman Abramovich on Saturday put the club in care of its trustees in response to claims in the British parliament that oligarchs should be stripped of their assets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich remains Chelsea’s owner and Tuchel is hopeful the European champions’ day-to-day routine will not be affected.
“Very confident on a daily basis and how we handle things will not change,” he said.
Chelsea released a 24-word statement on their Web site on Sunday, but omitted any reference to Russia or Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The situation in Ukraine is horrific and devastating,” the statement said. “Chelsea FC’s thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine. Everyone at the club is praying for peace.”
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
RSS