Virgil van Dijk leads by example as Liverpool secure Carabao Cup glory

Cork's Caoimhin Kelleher made a series of fine saves to deny Chelsea, who were second best in a game that was scrappy but thrilling, full of effort, incident and controversy.

THE LONG GOODBYE: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp lifts the trophy. 

CARABAO CUP FINAL 

CHELSEA 0 LIVERPOOL 1 (Van Dijk 118) 

VIRGIL VAN DIJK ensured that Jurgen Klopp's long goodbye will have some silverware to show for it, as the Liverpool captain headed home the only goal of a cup final that was only minutes away from going to penalties for the third successive time between these two sides.

Van Dijk, who had earlier seen a similar effort disallowed controversially, made no mistake when Kostas Tsimikas swung in a corner from the right. 

The big Dutchman got ahead of the hapless Axel Disasi to power home a header that gave Liverpool a victory they just about deserved, given they had been saved out several times by the efforts of Caoimhin Kelleher, standing in for Allison in goal.

The big Corkman made a series of fine saves to deny Chelsea, who were second best in a game that was scrappy but thrilling, full of effort, incident and controversy.

On another day, Moises Caicedo might have been sent off for a challenge that left Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch in agony, the Dutchman taken off on a stretcher and seen on crutches at the final whistle, with his injured ankle in a protective boot.

HERO STATUS: Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and Virgil van Dijk celebrate after the final whistle. Pic: Nick Potts/PA Wire.

Van Dijk had a headed goal ruled out by VAR on the hour mark for a controversial offside ruling against Wataru Endo, so it was poetic justice that the big Dutchman should score the winner.

It means Klopp's side have at least one trophy in the bag as Klopp's departure looms, and they are still in the running for the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League.

But their squad is beginning to look stretched. The big news before kickoff was that Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez did not even make Liverpool's squad, which led to a rather makeshift look about the starting eleven and a very experienced bench. 

As well as those two forwards, Klopp was without Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Gravenberch was soon added to the long injury list when he was taken off on a stretcher after Caicedo's studs landed on the Dutchman's ankle in the 23rd minute. Remarkably referee Chris Kavanagh did not give a foul, and VAR did not review the incident, which on another day might have resulted in a red card for Caicedo. No wonder Klopp spent the following few minutes berating fourth official Tim Robinson on the sidelines.

Kavanagh had been conservative with his cards and whistle, allowing some fouls and perpetrators to go unpunished. It led to a bitty, niggly opening in which neither side managed to play any free-flowing football and chances were few and far between. 

A slip from Chelsea defender Axel Disasi allowed Cody Gakpo to tee up Luis Diaz, whose shot was tipped away for a corner by Djordje Petrovic. 

LEADER OF MEN: Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates, surrounded by teammate. Pic: Alastair Grant, AP

The Chelsea keeper also stretched to save a high looping header from Diaz, Liverpool's most dangerous-looking forward, who was ably supported by the busy Harvey Elliott from midfield.

Alexis MacAllister was getting the better of his World Cup-winning team-mate Enzo Fernandez in midfield, and floated in a delightful cross that Gakpo headed against the base of the far post shortly before half-time.

Chelsea had their chances too. Raheem Sterling put the ball in the net from close range in the 32nd minute but Nicolas Jackson was flagged offside in the build-up and VAR agreed, though it looked a close decision.

It was nothing like as controversial as the moment on the hour mark when Van Dijk thumped a header home only to have it ruled out by VAR three minutes later. 

The Liverpool captain looked was onside when he met Andrew Robertson's free-kick from the left, to send a powerful header past Petrovic. 

Red smoke swirled above Liverpool's supporters as players celebrated in front of their fans, but when Kavanagh was advised to review the incident, there was an air of inevitability about the outcome. 

The ruling was that Endo had been in an offside position when he blocked one of Chelsea's defenders, and was thus interfering with play.

Klopp was incensed again, but his team rallied. Diaz cut through the Chelsea defence with a driving run but when he passed to Gakpo in a great position, the Dutch forward blazed his shot high over the bar.

Disasi, who had made several mistakes in Chelsea's defence, then had a chance to score but failed to get a clean strike at the far post when he should have put the ball away.

Chelsea then hit the woodwork, the tricky Cole Palmer playing in a low pass from the right that Conor Gallagher clipped first-time against the far post.

Palmer then set up an even better chance for Gallagher, who was clean in on goal, but Caoimhin Kelleher made a marvellous one-handed save from close range, similar to the way the Cork-born keeper had denied Palmer earlier in the game.

And deep in stoppage time, the keeper stuck out a foot to deny Palmer again, with the ball finally landing softly in his arms after pinging around the penalty area like it was a pinball machine.

Klopp sent on a trio of youngsters as his established players began to tire towards the end of normal time, and one of them Jayden Danns almost scored early in extra time with a header that was tipped over by Petrovic.

The keeper did even better with five minutes of extra time remaining to save with his feet when Elliott powered in a header at the back post, and Petrovic gathered the loose ball.

But there was nothing he could do two minutes later when Tsimikas swung in his corner, Van Dijk got ahead of Disasi and headed home for the second time – except this one counted.

It was only a matter of seeing out the final minutes before the final whistle blew and the hordes of supporters in red were singing “The Fields of Anfield Road”.

For Chelsea, this was their sixth successive cup final defeat at Wembley, the last three of them at the hands of Liverpool. It means another year without a trophy for Mauricio Pochettino and his men, while for Klopp's Liverpool, this is the first leg of a possible quadruple ticked off.

CHELSEA: Petrovic 7: Gusto 7, Disasi 5, Colwill 6, Chilwell 6 (Chalobah 111); Caicedo 6, Fernandez 6; Sterling 5 (Nkunku 67), Palmer 7, Gallagher 7 (Madueke 95); Jackson 5 (Mudryk 89). 

LIVERPOOL: Kelleher 8; Bradley 7 (Clark 72), Konate 7 (Quansah 105), Van Dijk 9, Robertson 7 (Tsimikas 87); Gravenberch 6 (Gomez 27), Endo 8, MacAllister 8 (McConnell 87); Elliot 8, Gakpo 7 (Danns 87), Diaz 8. 

Referee: Chris Kavanagh 6/10