FSG bosses join wild Liverpool celebrations as Pep Lijnders given tunnel scare

Theo Squires brings you the moments you might have missed as Liverpool celebrated winning the Carabao Cup following their heroic 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley

Liverpool have won the League Cup for a record tenth time!

Virgil van Dijk’s 118th-minute header earned the Reds a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley to win silverware in what will be Jurgen Klopp’s last year as manager.

Heading into the game without Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, Liverpool were left without 11 senior players against Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Such a number rose to 12 absentees before the half-hour mark as Ryan Gravenberch was stretchered off injured.

But despite being heavily-depleted and turning to a number of teenage academy starlets, the Reds dug in deep to claim one of the proudest wins in the club’s history. But you already know all that.

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As the Liverpool squad celebrated on the pitch and in the stands long after the final whistle, here are some of the post-match moments you might have missed long after the cameras stopped rolling on the Reds’ celebrations…

Klopp emulates Liverpool legend

Klopp has become only the third Liverpool manager to win the League Cup on more than one occasion, following in the footsteps of Bob Paisley (three) and Gerard Houllier (two). But that isn’t the only way he emulated the Reds’ most successful manager at Wembley on Sunday, having already announced he will be stepping down as Liverpool boss in the summer after nine years at Anfield.

Klopp held aloft the Carabao Cup trophy with his captain, Van Dijk, with such scenes reminiscent of Paisley’s own final season at the club. Winning the League Cup in 1983, as his own nine-year stint as manager neared its end, he was urged to lift the trophy by captain Graeme Souness.

Paisley would finish his final season with Liverpool as English champions. Again. Fingers crossed, Jurgen!

Walking wounded watch on

Whenever Liverpool have lost a final under Klopp, they have made a point of staying behind to watch the successful side receive their medals and lift their trophy. It ultimately acts to help motivate them to future success.

Even though the Reds were League Cup winners on Sunday, it was still a bittersweet occasion for many of Klopp’s squad. As the winning players climbed the Wembley steps to receive the trophy, a number of their injured team-mates were left on the pitch looking on wistfully.

Salah, Trent-Alexander Arnold, Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak all watched on, up into the stands, waiting for their own opportunity to celebrate. But no doubt also, with the majority playing their part in the early rounds of the cup, quietly rueing a missed opportunity of winning a final themselves.

With the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup still up for grabs, there will at least be further opportunities. This first taste of silverware this season will motivate them even further to get new medals of their own come May.

Of course, not all of Liverpool’s walking wounded were in attendance at Wembley, with there no sign of Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara. Whether that suggests a greater severity of injury/need for treatment on Merseyside, you can make your own judgements.

Meanwhile, injury at least did not prevent Gravenberch from joining in with the celebrations. Stretchered off in the first half, he was on crutches and a protective boot out on the pitch after the final whistle, but still managed to get up the Wembley steps.

And as Liverpool prepared to receive the trophy, Gravnberch could be seen carefully placing his crutches out of the way so he could fully join in the celebrations up on the balcony.

Klopp really is running out of energy!

Klopp was right in the heart of the celebrations at Wembley as Liverpool received the Carabao Cup trophy, showcasing his trademark fistpumps celebration soon after the final whistle. Though rather than aiming it in the direction of the crowd, this time his own players were the recipients.

He was then spotted jumping up and down and dancing on the balcony ahead of receiving the trophy.

The Reds squad would then link arm-in-arm for a rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ in front of the Liverpool fans behind the goal. Klopp would prematurely break away from the chain, thinking the rendition was over, only to be called back in for another verse.

He would also enthusiastically join in the Ibrahima Konate and Van Dijk-led dancing to Dua Lipa’s ‘One Kiss’, before later posing for a customary picture with his staff after his squad embarked on a mini lap of honour around Liverpool’s end of the stadium.

With fans still in the stands at the side of the pitch, Klopp would repeatedly hold aloft the trophy to the delight of those supporters, akin to his traditional fistpumps celebration. Though a lot less energetically than he had been doing when the celebrations had initially got underway, it has to be said!

Such a sight is also bittersweet when you consider it could potentially prove to be the German’s final trophy as Liverpool manager. Fortunately the Reds will be determined to ensure that isn’t the case come May.

• A 40-page souvenir special commemorating Liverpool FC's Carabao Cup win will be available to buy in shops from Thursday or you can pre-order it HERE now from our online shop.

Nunez the orchestrator

Darwin Nunez stole the show when celebrating Van Dijk's winner, running down the steps from his seats before leaping over the advertising hoarding to celebrate with his manager and team-mates. You'd never think he was injured!

Yet that wasn't the only time the Uruguayan was at the heart of the action once the cup was one. He would stand in front of supporters and orchestrate them in a rendition of his own chant, before joining in himself.

Yes, that's right. Nunez was stood on the Wembley turf, chanting, 'Nunez, Nunez, Nunez!'. What a guy!

The kids are all right

Liverpool finished the League Cup final with six academy graduates on the pitch, having already substituted one, and left two unused on the bench. A further four are currently on the injury list.

Needless to say it was the proudest of days for the LFC Academy, with their graduates delivering a day that will never be forgotten. They marked it together too with an iconic picture holding the trophy in front of the Liverpool fans, with the full-time score very much clear on the board behind them.

Jarell Quansah, Jayden Danns, Bobby Clark(holding the trophy), James McConnell, Doak, Lewis Koumas, Trey Nyoni, Alexander-Arnold, Bajcetic, Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott all posed together for the memorable shot.

They were without Caoimhin Kelleher and Jones though, which did not go unnoticed by the latter! ‘Without me…..’ he commented on Alexander-Arnold’s social media post sharing the picture!

Given the club’s recent Google Pixel adverts, perhaps the absent pair can be edited in? Regardless, such a shot will surely soon hold pride of place on the Kirkby walls.

FSG bosses in the building

While Liverpool owner John W Henry was not at Wembley on Sunday, Chairman Tom Werner and CEO Billy Hogan very much were, and were out on the pitch to join in the celebrations.

The pair were swiftly embraced by Klopp, assistant manager Pep Lijnders and goalkeeping coach John Achterberg following the trio’s staff photo as they slowly started to head off the pitch.

Werner and Hogan would then pose for their own picture with the trophy, though were left unsure what to do with it afterwards. Fortunately, Luis Diaz was just walking past, with the Liverpool chairman duly handing over responsibility of the silverware to the Colombian, with the players’ celebrations then continuing in the dressing room.

Meanwhile, club legend Jamie Carragher was then seen pitchside embracing Werner and Hogan before engaging in discussion. The former centre-back was part of the Liverpool side that won the League Cup back in 2012 to deliver the first trophy under FSG. Twelve years on, the club’s American owners have now overseen a hat-trick of wins in the competition.

Unseen injury scare

There was one amusing moment in the tunnel after the on-pitch celebrations involving McConnell and Lijnders.

As reported by Sports Broadcaster Carrie Brown, the Dutchman had a moment of panic when the young midfielder tripped in the tunnel on his own studs. Placing his hand on his heart, he joked: “Please, no! We can’t lose you!”

Thankfully, McConnell landed safely and unharmed. But while Lijnders’ comments were made in jest, there is an alarming amount of truth to them after Gravenberch and Wataru Endo both left Wembley on crutches and in protective boots.

The academy graduate will surely start against Southampton in the FA Cup in midweek now as the Reds sweat over their latest injury scares. Gravenberch and Endo’s issues could leave them without 13 senior players against the Saints, though Salah, Nunez and Szoboszlai could be closing in on returns.

While the injury crisis hasn’t stopped Liverpool from winning the League Cup at least, having already reached a ridiculous total, surely it can’t get any worse?