by When Liverpool won the corner near the end of extra time that would have been decisive, Jürgen Klopp praised him and was smiling at the romance of it all. Depleted by many injuries and gathering more here, other players running on fumes, the manager brought in a bunch of untested youngsters. But here was his team, fighting to the last breath. It was Liverpool who found purpose and clarity in the extra period.
Klopp’s scriptwriter had something left, the details to collect his quest for four more trophies before he walks off into the sunset at the end of the season. Substitute Kostas Tsimikas turned over the kick and Virgil van Dijk, stealing from Axel Disasi, headed home. The Liverpool captain had seen a header ruled out on the hour mark after lengthy VAR intervention. There would be no denying him or his team this time.
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Klopp’s smile was now a thing and the celebration would be quite wild on the full-time whistle, his punts to the Liverpool supporters heavy on emotion. The photographers got the picture they wanted when Klopp and Van Dijk lifted the trophy together and there was a scene that quickly went viral as Klopp, every Liverpool player and every member of the team wrapped their arms around each other and swayed in one line to the song of You will not walk alone.
The other half of the stadium had been empty for a long time. It was Mauricio Pochettino who had the red eyes; both he and Chelsea regret it. The Chelsea manager had watched his side recover from a nervous start and had the chance to win it in normal time. After Van Dijk’s header was disallowed, it was Chelsea who turned the screw.
Conor Gallagher didn’t deserve to be in the losing team but he wasn’t clinical when he needed to be. There would be no win to start the Pochettino era and he is still looking for his first silverware in English football. Todd Boehly’s ownership of the club’s face wasn’t the first result of the £1bn transfer spend either. The cold truth was that Chelsea broke away in extra time.
What now for them? Not since Roman Abramovich took over have they gone two consecutive seasons without a trophy but that is their fate if they are unable to win the FA Cup. One of the problems for them is that Liverpool is still there.
It was a stirring occasion as modern history between the clubs came to life – all of those epic Champions League ties of the mid-to-late nineties and the previous four finals. Also when the team news was huge, mainly from Liverpool’s point of view.
Klopp counted 11 absentees, including some big names – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez. He would lose Ryan Gravenberch midway through the first half of normal time after a bad tackle from Moisés Caicedo; the midfielder would see again on bags for the celebration, his foot in a protective boot. Wataru Endo also left Wembley on crutches and in a boot, having damaged his ankle.
It was an event with input from Liverpool academy players. Conor Bradley was fearless from the start, first at right-back, then in midfield, and Klopp would end up with Bobby Clark and James McConnell in the No. 1 positions. 8 and Jayden Danns as No. 9. Jarell Quansah also stepped up in the center of defense.
Chelsea measured the opening 20 minutes in slips, loose touches and passes; desperate dirt, too. But they announced they were in the contest when Gallagher crossed low and Cole Palmer was denied by a brilliant save from Kevin Kelleher.
It was entertaining, jammed the whole episode. For the first time in this season’s competition, VAR technology was used and Caicedo was lucky not to suggest action after his stamp on Gravenberch. Chelsea were a hair’s breadth from taking the lead on the half-hour, Nicolas Jackson setting up Raheem Sterling for the tap-in but the forward was seen to have moved on too early to Palmer’s pass. Liverpool had chances before the interval in normal time, mainly through the relentless Luis Díaz. He had two early tries and Bradley hit up in the 45th minute, Levi Colwill making a huge block. Moments earlier, Cody Gakpo had risen to meet Andy Robertson’s cross but his header hit the post.
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Chelsea was despicable. Enzo Fernández ignored a well-placed Palmer after 53 minutes to end the effort and, after Van Dijk had a goal disallowed, they upped the ante on their waste. Disasi got himself into a muddle when he was set up gloriously and Gallagher would head Palmer’s cross to the far post and blow one-on-one with Kelleher. There were other moments.
Liverpool thought they had finished when Van Dijk headed home Robertson’s free-kick. The VAR, however, would have seen that Endo blocked Colwill from standing outside. Colwill was part of Van Dijk’s marking details.
Liverpool’s goal in extra time was amazing. Danns, with just a few minutes of first-team football before, teed up Djordje Petrovic with a header and Harvey Elliott’s header was saved by the Chelsea goalkeeper in the 115th minute. Penalties seemed inevitable. Download van dijk.
