by Liverpool won the League Cup by beating Chelsea 1-0 thanks to a late extra-time goal from captain Virgil van Dijk after a fierce end-to-end battle at Wembley.
Dutchman Van Dijk rose to take a corner in the 118th minute and nodded home in front of cheering Liverpool fans.
Here’s how Telegraph Sport rated both sides.
Chelsea
An incredible extra time save to stop Elliott won the game for Liverpool. Elliott’s volley and Danns’ header were also stopped. What was his signature. 8/10
A threat going forward, but he was struggling against Luis Diaz, Liverpool’s most dangerous player, and sometimes loose with his death. 5/10
There was one big interception, but he also picked up three bad mistakes – at least two of which could have led to goals, with Van Dijk missing in stoppage time. 4/10
Like some of his teammates, Colwill made a nervous start but settled down and made a crucial block to stop Bradley from opening the scoring. 7/10
The Chelsea captain was booked for pushing Bradley and was beaten to the ball from which Van Dijk scored, but was saved by VAR. 6/10
Should he have been banned? He was certainly lucky to escape without so much as a reservation for the lie forced upon Gravenberch. poor. 5/10
Enzo Fernandez
His legs could not be settled, when he was presented with a chance early in the second half and he still did not justify his transfer fee. 5/10
He looked on course to give Chelsea the lead, but Kelleher made a brilliant close-range save. Great work to provide the pass from which Gallagher hit the post. 7/10
Conor Gallagher
Unlucky to hit the post, but should have been better after Palmer was put through late on and missed the target with a shot. 6/10
An offside flag against Jackson stopped the scoring from opening. An attempt was made to exert influence in another way and Nkunku replaced him. 5/10
He may be unpredictable and imprecise, but Jackson was a threat to Liverpool’s defense and was just a millimeter wide of Sterling’s goal. 6/10
Subsidiaries
Christopher Nkunku (forward for Sterling, 67) 5
Mykhailo Mudryk (on for Jackson, 90) 5
Noni Madueke (for Gallagher, 97) 5
Trevoh Chalobah (forward for Chilwell (113) 6
Liverpool
Kevin Kelleher
Heroic at Wembley two years ago during penalties, but this has eclipsed it. A superb save to deny Cole Palmer was the start before a frantic finish in which he denied Conor Gallagher a winner in 90 minutes. 9/10
Ben Chilwell will have nightmares about the way Bradley exposed him at Anfield – which showed when the pair managed to set up a booking just before half-time. The steam disappeared after turning it into a mobile wing. 7/10
Virgil van Dijk
At its most imperious. Impeccable at both ends. He looked at the mood. Controversially rejected by forensic investigation in his first bid for a winner, he would not be denied. Perfection. 10/10
Ibrahim Konate
Established as Van Dijk’s preferred partner. Konate’s pace is a valuable asset when closing down those open Wembley spaces. His need for a last ditch effort grew even more when Liverpool ran out of players and energy. 9/10
He is getting back to his best but it was always going to be a stretch for him to last the full 90 minutes. The usual performance was achieved before Tsimikas replaced him near the end. 8/10
The closest player on the pitch to N’Golo Kante. Chelsea must have wished they were competing with Liverpool for his signature last summer. He was the last senior man standing in Liverpool’s midfield in extra time. 9/10
Bloody expression. When Mac Allister was controlling the midfield, Liverpool had momentum. His late substitution felt like the moment Chelsea had the game there for the taking. Wrong. 9/10
Ryan Gravenberch
Struggling with Caicedo’s challenge, leaving Klopp furious that there was no VAR intervention. 27 minute disturbance forcing Liverpool to send on an extra defender. 6/10
He made a nervous start, wasting possession more often than his teammates. The search for the final pass or shot continued in an ultimately courageous performance as he pressed forward. 8/10
Luis Diaz
He’s not lethal when he gets opportunities, but he never stops. He played Gusto with gusto. He always looked for the most likely way to find a way through in open play. He must have felt like a lone assassin at some points. 8/10
His pre-match homework should have been watching Roberto Firmino videos. His header against the bar was the closest Klopp’s side came to a first-half lead. He had to be replaced before 90 minutes. 7/10
Subsidiaries
Klopp released his great kids and how they paid tribute to themselves, the senior coaching staff and Liverpool’s academy. Clark, McConnell, Danns and Quansah never put a foot wrong and mocked the price of their opponents.
