Chelsea – Liverpool 0-0 (0-0) 5-6 after extra time and penalty kicks.
The two duelists met again in the final this season, after Liverpool recorded the longest run in the League Cup.
And once again, the final was followed by extra time and a penalty kick after a goalless clash at Wembley.
Sadio Mané had the chance to decide the final on Liverpool’s fifth penalty, but compatriot douard Mendy saved. At that time, Cesar Azpilicueta had missed first for Chelsea.
Mason Mount ended up being the culprit when Alisson Becker saved the attempt with a tiger jump. Substitute Kostas Tsimikas became a big hero for the Reds, when he scored with a decisive kick in the game.
– It is very, very special to me. The manager asked me what penalty I would take and I answered number seven. I am very, very happy. I chose the right page! Tsimikas told the BBC.
– It was fantastic, we put on a great show, said Alisson Becker.
On the penalty save, the Brazilian said:
– That’s good, or what? All the goalkeeping coaches help me make decisions. They are fantastic players, Chelsea did very well, but we deserved to win.
– Nervous
This means that Liverpool won both trophies in England this season and manager Jürgen Klopp accepts the trophy he missed.
– Fantastic, it was an amazing and intense game against Chelsea. They deserved to win in the same way, in the same way as in the League Cup – the margins are very small, said Klopp.
The Germans feel with co-manager Thomas Tuchel.
– The penalty shoot-out was tense, I don’t have nails anymore, but I feel with Chelsea, for the second time. 120 minutes and you get nothing, that’s really hard. But I’m happy on our behalf, said Klopp.
Tuchel felt that his crew deserved more.
– We’ve proven four times this season that we can come out on top and fight them at this level. All the results are feasible and can go according to our wishes. “The difference is they can do it Wednesday-Sunday, Wednesday-Sunday all season,” Tuchel said after the FA Cup final, according to london footballreproduced by NTB
Tuchel believes he and the team couldn’t have done anything different.
– Like in the last cup final, I don’t regret anything. I told the players that I was proud of them. We played 240 minutes with the final against perhaps the most dangerous attack in the world, and it was 0-0. We lost on penalties and were disappointed and sad, but at the same time proud because we showed everything we needed.
– Will be praised
Big opportunities
Liverpool got off to a good start, and the nimble Luis Diaz could and should have given the Reds the lead, but Mendy stopped the winger, who came alone with the goalkeeper after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s excellent outside pass.
A pass that was appreciated by Monaco’s Cesc Fabregas:
Jürgen Klopp’s men never managed to capitalize on the initiative, and Chelsea increasingly entered the game before half-time. Both Christian Pulisic and Marcos Alonso had good chances to get the ball into the net – to no avail.
extra spin
Shortly after the break, Pulisic and Alonso continued to create big chances, but either Alisson got in the way, or the yellow shirts missed the mark. Alonso also sent the ball across the crossbar with a free kick from a corner.
Liverpool was shaken.
Diaz and Diogo Jota tried several long shots before an hour of play, but neither had the correct address.
Hard to believe that there were no goals after 90 plus added. Both Diaz and Andy Robertson hit the post. The latter after a brilliant strike, where the backside got the ball at the back post and hit the ball to the metal.
So, again there are extra innings, like in the League Cup final. There were two tired crews who had to play an extra half hour, and the team created almost nothing.
Then it ended dramatically.
Wrong miss due to injury
Jürgen Klopp has led the Reds to victory in most of the tournament since the German came to Liverpool, but has no FA Cup trophy in the prize cupboard. Chelsea are in their third successive FA Cup final, and are seeking revenge after the last defeat two seasons before. Instead, it was a record with three consecutive final losses.
The clubs also met the last time Liverpool were in the FA Cup final, and the London club won 2-1 back in the 2011/12 season. Chelsea have been in the final for five of the last six seasons (!). Liverpool last won the 2005/06 season (against West Ham).
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah had to leave due to injury after less than half an hour. The Egyptian is stuck in the groin, and that may be bad news before the Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 28. Stopper Virgil van Dijk was substituted before extra time, and the question is whether that change was also due to injury.
– I think it’s a little worse with Mo (Salah) than Virgil, he’s fine. He felt it a little. I hope it will be good. “We have the squad we need,” Klopp said after the game.
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