As Jurgen Klopp held aloft the Carabao Cup trophy hand-in-hand with Virgil van Dijk, you could see the pride and emotion dripping from his face.
If this was the last time the German manages at Wembley, what a way to go out after an incredible performance from his depleted Liverpool side against a Chelsea outfit backed by a £1billion transfer splurge.
Klopp, his players and Reds supporters will hope he will be back here in May for the FA Cup final as he continues his long farewell with hopes of a quadruple still on.
Along with those five final triumphs – the Carabao Cup in 2021-22 and 2023-24, the FA Cup in 2021-22, the Champions League in 2018-19 and the Club World Cup in 2019 – the German has also won the Premier League, European Super Cup and Community Shield.
But, was Sunday’s Wembley triumph the greatest cup final win of the Klopp era? Mail Sport takes a look and ranks them below…
Liverpool beat 1-0 Chelsea in dramatic fashion to win the Carabao Cup at Wembley on Sunday
It was the fifth cup final Jurgen Klopp has won with the Reds out of eight trophies overall
Virgil van Dijk’s last-gasp header was the difference as he nodded in Kostas Tsimikas’ corner
There is an extremely nice ring that comes with calling yourself world champions, and given the Club World Cup was the only trophy Liverpool were yet to win, this was a great one for Klopp to get on the board.
But in truth, despite crowning a team as the greatest in the world, the Club World Cup is not held in much regard in England.
Liverpool’s opponents in the competition – which they entered at the semi-final stage – were Mexican side Monterrey and Brazilian outfit Flamengo, with the Reds strong favourites for both games.
A narrow 2-1 victory over Monterrey was followed by an extra-time win against Flamengo in the final thanks to Roberto Firmino’s 99th-minute goal.
It was a great achievement for Klopp, and no win can be taken lightly.
But given Liverpool were at full strength and narrowly scraped past a much less-experienced and unfancied opponent – whose most notable players were former Arsenal and Chelsea defenders Pablo Mari and Filipe Luis – it ranks in fifth.
The final was also played on December 21, just days before Christmas, meaning there was limited attention back home.
Liverpool became world champions in 2019 after beating Flamengo in the Club World Cup final
4 – FA Cup final 2021-22: Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea (6-5 on penalties)
The FA Cup final in May 2022 was another feather in the cap of Liverpool’s ‘mentality monsters’.
They had beaten Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup final (more on that later) just a few months earlier, and the Reds did the business on spot-kicks again.
Despite the scoreline, it was another entertaining encounter with both teams wasteful in the final third.
Liverpool grounded it out and Kostas Tsimikas slotted home the decisive effort after Alisson saved from Mason Mount.
Their feat was even more impressive given Mohamed Salah went off injured in the first half, before the Reds also lost Virgil van Dijk at the end of normal time.
The triumph kept alive their hopes of a famous quadruple, although Liverpool ultimately narrowly missed out on the Premier League and Champions League.
Liverpool showed their steel to beat Chelsea on spot-kicks again in the 2022 FA Cup final
Alisson saved Mason Mount’s decisive penalty as the Reds won a second trophy of the season
3 – Carabao Cup final 2021-22: Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea (11-10 on penalties)
When Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga stepped up for the 22nd penalty of the shootout after his Liverpool counterpart Caoimhin Kelleher had scored his effort, you felt like these sides would never be separated.
But the Spaniard – who was brought on as a penalty specialist and has his own chequered history with the Carabao Cup – blazed over to give Liverpool the win following 21 perfect penalties.
The sheer drama of the shootout means this just edged out the FA Cup win over the same opponents in 2021-22.
It followed an equally emphatic game, with Chelsea having three goals ruled out for offside, while the Reds also squandered several chances and saw Joel Matip have an effort of his own chalked off.
Meanwhile, Kelleher began his Carabao Cup love affair with a strong display after Klopp kept faith in him for the showpiece event.
Elsewhere, Liverpool had to also overcome adversity after Thiago Alcantara was forced out of the game in the warm-up.
This was also a significant victory given it was the Reds’ first trophy since their Premier League triumph in 2020 and it followed what had been a difficult 18 months for the club.
Liverpool also beat Chelsea on penalties in the 2022 Carabao Cup final in dramatic fashion
After 21 perfect penalties, which included a calm finish from Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, his Chelsea counterpart Kepa Arrizabalaga blazed his spot kick over the bar
2 – Champions League final 2018-19: Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham
On the pitch, Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the Champions League final is probably the least stressful and action-packed final of Klopp’s tenure.
The Reds were strong favourites, scored within two minutes after a contentious penalty and then went onto add a second late on following a dominant performance.
But winning the Champions League is always special and perhaps an even greater achievement than lifting the Premier League.
The victory in this final was a significant moment for the club, with it being the first time Liverpool had won Europe’s elite club competition since 2005 and it also took them to third on the list of the most decorated clubs in European football.
Similarly, it came following a brutal defeat by Real Madrid the previous season, and, as shown by their subsequent loss to Los Blancos in 2022, opportunities to win the competition must be grabbed with both hands.
The comfortable win over Spurs did follow an improbable comeback in the second leg of the semi-final against Barcelona when the Reds overturned a 3-0 first leg deficit, making the feeling of lifting the trophy even sweeter.
Winning the Champions League was also a pivotal moment in Klopp’s tenure, given it was the first trophy he won at the club, while it set the foundations for the Premier League triumph the following year and seven subsequent honours.
Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Tottenham in the Champions League final in 2019 was comfortable
But it was a significant moment for the Reds as Klopp lifted the first trophy of his Anfield tenure
1 – Carabao Cup final 2023-24: Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea (AET)
‘What happened here tonight is absolutely insane,’ an emotional Klopp said on Sunday evening. ‘These things are not possible. You have a team, a squad, and an academy full of character. It’s unbelievable.
‘I am so proud that I could be part of that. Wow! How we played, the crazy stuff is we deserved it.
‘Yes, we had lucky moments, but they did too. It was a tough game. And the boys showed up. It was really cool. (It is) easily the most special trophy (I have ever won).’
If it’s good enough for Klopp, it’s good enough for us. Sunday’s victory over Chelsea comes in at the top of this list given the character a severely-depleted Liverpool had to show in the face of adversity.
The Reds were already missing 10 senior stars ahead of kick off, plus youngster Ben Doak, before Ryan Gravenberch was forced off in the first half on a stretcher.
But they kept going and Klopp put huge faith in youngsters Bobby Clark and James McConnell (both 19), along with Jayden Danns (18) off the bench – something many other managers wouldn’t do.
Liverpool’s Carabao Cup triumph on Sunday came despite their severely depleted squad
Youngsters such as Jarell Quansah (21), Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott (both 20) stepped up
Klopp even threw on 18-year-old Jayden Danns (centre) and Bobby Clark, 19 (second right)
And what a show of faith it was, as the youthful trio were absolutely superb as Liverpool wrestled back control of the game before Van Dijk’s last-gasp header.
It was testament to what Klopp has built at the club, with 21-year-old Jarell Quansah something of a veteran by the end, as the Reds finished extra-time with arguably only three first choice players (Van Dijk, Endo and Diaz) on the pitch.
And that’s without even mentioning the performances of Harvey Elliott and Conor Bradley, who both continue to go from strength-to-strength despite being just 20.
In contrast, although Chelsea were missing players, they were still able to bring on £170m worth of talent in Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, along with academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah.
The fact that Liverpool were worthy winners means this achievement ranks as the greatest cup final triumph for the Reds under Klopp.
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