Carabao Cup Final: *Bumper* Post-Match Analysis

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Paul Tomkins, Andrew Beasley, Daniel Rhodes and other TTT regulars will give their thoughts on the match for 24 hours after the game, so the article received via email is unlikely to be the final version. There's statistics from the match and videos too.

Post-Match Thoughts

Paul Tomkins

One of the best Liverpool trophy wins ever.

Seriously.

Context is everything in judging anything, especially achievements in life or sport. This was up there with Istanbul in terms of adversity, if not scoreline.

Go back to the summer. I tell you that Liverpool will beat Chelsea in a cup final this season, when fielding James McConnell, Jayden Danns, Bobby Clark, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, and led by the old boy Harvey Elliott, still aged only 20. You tell me I’m mad.

Go back to June, and be told that Wataru Endo (End-Who?), £15m, will boss the midfield against Moises “still not booked” Caicedo (£115m) – who looked £100m inferior to the Japanese; and Caoimhín Kelleher, looking rusty and downcast and set to leave, would have the game of his life, against the squad that cost about £1bn in the past year or so. (Moises Caicedo is still at Wembley, kicking people who pass by.)

The other Reds’ subs included Trey Nyoni, a school-kid then still in Leicester doing his GCSEs, and Lewis Koumas, son of Jason.

Tellingly, almost none of them had playing experience; not a case of being 18 or 19 and played almost 100 games, like Elliott. These were barely training with the first team that long ago. Danns, who has only just turned 18, had never played for Liverpool as recently as five days ago, and he almost scored with a fine header.

To also have the vital league game brought forward to midweek, whereas due to TV, Chelsea did not have to play theirs; a full week to prepare, which is a huge advantage when the opposition manager has so many injuries he can’t really rotate or freshen things up.

Add that Mauricio Pochettino was allowed to question the integrity of the officials before the game, to the point where, weak and terrible as they are (and as ‘grudge bearing’ as John Brooks the VAR is), they gave everything to Chelsea, and it’s even more remarkable.

And Luis Díaz, a hero in midweek and a runner for 120 minutes, with his mother and father in the stadium after being kidnapped a few months ago.

By the time Ryan Gravenberch, 21, was kicked off the pitch in the first half by Moises “No, Still Not Booked” Caicedo, Liverpool had 12 senior players absent, and, on paper, a better XI missing than playing.

It was an insane game; end-to-end, and somehow the Reds got better as the average age fell below puberty.

Jürgen Klopp is leaving, sure; but how can you not love this Last Dance? I’d give 10 normal years for one final season of Klopp.

I’m struggling to write due to the shakes from adrenaline, fury, outrage, passion, euphoria.

I’ll take my time for once and try and clear my head (I’m getting there). I’m glad I turned down a chance of a ticket as my health wouldn’t have held out. It was too intense.

The disallowed Virgil van Dijk goal for blocking (as an active piece of play), which happens 100 times a game (and 100 times a game to him), almost pushed me over the edge with the PGMOL, which yet again gives every 50-50 against Klopp.

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