Prior to kickoff, Klopp’s squad was depleted of several of its most valuable players, increasing the likelihood of a Liverpool triumph over Chelsea’s billion-pound undertaking.
Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah joined the already-long list of victims that also included Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jota, and goalkeeper Alisson.
Virgil van Dijk’s header two minutes left in extra time sealed the victory, and yet, against all logic, Klopp ended up celebrating yet another historic Liverpool victory. Klopp had the audacity to call upon children from the team’s Kirkby creche to lift the first trophy of a possible four-trophy haul.
The fact that Chelsea lost out on this opportunity and that TV analyst and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville called them “billion-pound bottle jobs” will be discussed extensively.
Nonetheless, Liverpool and Klopp deserve all the praise.
