A Virgil van Dijk header in the second half of extra time allowed Liverpool to beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
The Liverpool captain headed a corner kick with two minutes remaining after a vibrant final that decided the first national title of the season.
Van Dijk and Jurgen Klopp jointly lifted the Carabao Cup with the Reds, securing the Liverpool boss at least one major honor in his final season at the helm of the club.
Liverpool will now have further success in their sights as Klopp’s men also compete for the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup.
Here, Mail Sport’s Sami Mokbel brings you the moments you may have missed from the final at Wembley.
Liverpool won the Carabao Cup by beating Chelsea 1-0 in extra time.
Digital tickets cause problems for Liverpool fans
Thousands of Liverpool fans were caught in chaotic scenes outside Wembley in the run-up to kick-off due to problems with the digital ticketing system.
Liverpool’s allocation was made on digital tickets, while Chelsea were given traditional paper stubs. But problems with digital entry systems wreaked havoc on Liverpool fans, many of whom had to queue for paper tickets after being refused entry.
Those coming down from Merseyside had already been subjected to an arduous journey south due to the difficulties of the rail network.
Digital tickets caused problems for Liverpool fans ahead of Carabao Cup final
Sterling and Gómez face each other again
You couldn’t help but smile wryly as Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez frantically searched for the same ball in the 34th minute.
A similar clash at Anfield in November 2019 culminated in the pair involved in a heated altercation at St George’s Park while on England duty less than 24 hours later, head coach Gareth Southgate suspended Sterling from the upcoming match against Montenegro for his role as aggressor. at the flash point.
There was no such fight here at Wembley on Sunday, but it is an irony that it all did not go unnoticed.
The battle between Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez evoked memories of their confrontation in 2019.
Document shows Chelsea’s squad for the final
Thiago Silva loses his fitness career at Wembley. ‘Mischa’ Mudryk. Academy prospects Jimi Taurainen and Billy Gee make the cut. And a meeting at 11.30am in Cobham for those not involved.
Here, Mail Sport can reveal the official document confirming Chelsea’s squad for the main match at Wembley.
Stan Bowles would have wanted neither of them to win
At first glance, you’d think it would be a safe bet to assume that Stan Bowles, who sadly passed away on Saturday following a battle with Alzheimer’s, would have been supporting a Liverpool victory.
Bowles served Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea’s west London rivals, with great distinction for seven years from 1972. But Bowles’ roots are firmly in Greater Manchester, playing for City and Bury before moving south . So you can well imagine Bowles, for all his charm and wit, confessing that he wouldn’t have wanted any of these teams to win.
The legendary Stan Bowles probably wouldn’t have wanted either team to win at Wembley.
Brighton owner Tony Bloom attends the match
Brighton owner Tony Bloom was in the royal box on Sunday. Of course, Bloom has lost countless players and staff to Chelsea since Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, who made a rare appearance together at Wembley, took over the reins of Stamford Bridge ownership less than 18 months ago. So the fact that Bloom was wearing a red tie certainly got his tongue wagging.
Gravenberch adds to Liverpool’s injury problems
Eleven. There are 11 injured players that Liverpool are looking after now. Ryan Gravenberch became the latest victim for the injury-ravaged Reds when he was stretchered off following a lunge from Moisés Caicedo which caused the Dutchman’s ankle to twist unpleasantly.
Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajetic, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alisson and Joel Matip are all out.
Ryan Gravenberch suffered an ankle injury as Liverpool’s problems on that front continued
Police impose alcohol ban along Wembley Way
Police actively enforce the alcohol ban along Wembley Way before kick-off. Often here at Wembley, officers turned a blind eye. But here on Sunday, groups of fans indulging in a pre-match drink were stopped and told to get rid of their cans as they headed to the stadium.
Police imposed a ban on alcohol consumption at Wembley before kick-off on Sunday.