Highlights
- Liverpool have won the Carabao Cup, beating Chelsea 1-0 after extra time.
- Despite injuries, Virgil van Dijk bagged a winner for the Reds in the final minutes of the game.
- Gary Neville was shocked at how poor Chelsea were, labelling them the ‘Blue Billion Pound Bottle Jobs’
Liverpool have won the 2023/24 Carabao Cup and they did so in style, beating Chelsea with a 117th-minute header from Virgil van Dijk. It was an end-to-end game, with both sides creating plenty of chances, and while they couldn’t be separated throughout 90 minutes and the majority of extra time, their talismanic centre-back was there to provide a winner in the dying moments of the game.
Despite the stark contrasts between the two sides and their fortunes so far this season, Liverpool’s huge injury crisis meant they were always facing an uphill battle against the Blues. With the likes of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai and Allison all unavailable, they were noticeably weaker than usual.
Chelsea had the stronger first half
The Blues had some glorious chances to score
That showed early in the contest too, with Chelsea dominating large portions of the first half and creating the majority of the chances. Cole Palmer should have broken the deadlock when the ball fell to him inside the Reds’ area, and he took aim from a close distance, but Kelleher denied him with an absolutely magnificent save. Then, Raheem Sterling thought he’d opened the scoring when he got on the end of a Nicholas Jackson cross to smash the ball home, but the latter was judged to have been offside in the build-up and it was ruled out.
Liverpool weren’t without chances of their own, though, and Cody Gakpo came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock when he rose in the box and connected with a glancing header, but it bounced off the right-hand post.
Things turned in the second half
Liverpool came into their own and had a goal controversially chalked off
The two sides went into the half on even footing, despite the chances, and Liverpool took control after the restart. It was their time to see a goal ruled out for offside, though, after Virgil Van Dijk’s header was chalked off. The centre-back got onto the end of a free-kick, heading the ball into the back of the net, but it was ruled out when VAR spotted Wataru Endo in an offside position once the ball was whipped into the area. The decision was deemed quite harsh by pundits and fans alike online, and Jurgen Klopp couldn’t quite believe it.
Next, it was Chelsea’s turn to hit the woodwork. After Palmer whipped a fierce ball across the box to Conor Gallagher, he hit it first time, and his shot left Kelleher rooted to the spot, but the strike crashed off the far post and bounced away. Both teams came very, very close on numerous occasions, but the Blues should have found the back of the net when they unleashed a barrage of chances in the dying stages of the game, but Liverpool’s impressive last-ditch defending kept them at bay and forced extra time.
Van Dijk bagged the winner with minutes left on the clock
Despite their backs being firmly against the wall as the 90 minutes ran down, Liverpool came back into things during extra time and took control of the tie, despite featuring several of the club’s youth players. After a period where neither side created too much, Van Dijk cropped up and fired another header into the goal and this time he couldn’t be denied.
He got on the end of a corner and left Petrovic with no chance, sparking scenes of jubilation throughout Wembley for the Merseyside club. It was a massive goal and sealed the win for the Reds, who got their hands on their first piece of silverware for the season. With Klopp’s final few months running down now, they’ll be hoping this isn’t the last time they lift a trophy this year.
The result is a huge blemish on Chelsea, though, who spent large portions of the game taking on a side filled with youngsters. They collapsed in extra time and Gary Neville hammered them with a brutal line on commentary comparing the Blues side to the young players in Red.
“It’s Klopp’s kids against the billion pound bottle jobs.”
Not a good look for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
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