Tiring business eh, Jurgen? Exhausted Klopp cradles the Carabao Cup as he sleeps on the flight back to Liverpool after his Reds side triumph 1-0 over Chelsea in Wembley thriller
- Jurgen Klopp led Liverpool to victory against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Sunday
- The Reds boss introduced himself as he held the trophy to sleep as they flew back to Merseyside
- Xabi Alonso is smart and will do what is best for him. He won’t make an emotional decision about his next management job. Listen to the It all starts podcast
Jurgen Klopp was pictured taking a nap on the flight back to Liverpool after his side beat Chelsea on Sunday to lift the Carabao Cup.
The 56-year-old’s nerves were repeatedly tested on Sunday as his injury-hit team played out a tense back-and-forth affair at Wembley.
Chelsea seemed to have drawn first blood when Raheem Sterling put the ball in the back of the net via a pass from Nicolas Jackson.
However, a VAR check would later confirm that the Senegal international had been fractionally offside in the build-up and the stalemate between the two sides continued.
The Reds also suffered another casualty among their stricken side as Ryan Gravenberch was taken off the field on a stretcher after a bad tackle from Moises Caicedo and replaced by Joe Gomez.
Jurgen Klopp was asleep with the Carabao Cup in hand after his side defeated Chelsea
Virgil van Dijk headed home in the final stages of extra time to secure victory for the Reds
In his first major final since succeeding Jordan Henderson as club captain, Virgil van Dijk produced a talismanic performance for Klopp’s side.
Just after the hour, the Dutchman left for home to provoke wild celebrations from the Reds fans present.
Once again the ball was in the net and once again the potential goal was disallowed for offside, with the decision sparking a backlash among supporters on social media.
As the match went into extra time, Klopp introduced several academy graduates to watch the match end. Once again, however, it was Van Dijk who would prove himself as a difference maker and score the decisive goal with the match on the brink of penalties.
After the performance, Klopp insisted that Sunday’s win was the ‘most special trophy’ he has won in his illustrious career.
‘IIn my more than twenty years, this was by far the most special trophy I have ever won.
After the match, Klopp called the trophy ‘easily the most special’ of his entire career
‘It’s absolutely exceptional. I wish I could be proud more often. Tonight that is the overwhelming feeling. I was proud of our people for the way they pushed us.
‘I was proud of the employees, I was proud of our academy.
‘It had nothing to do with it possibly being my last game at Wembley. It was about how everyone contributed with the children.
‘Can you create stories in football that no one will ever forget? It is so hard. “Can you find a similar story when kids come off the bench against a top team?”