In a thrilling conclusion to the League Cup at Wembley, Liverpool emerged victorious with a 1-0 win over Chelsea, thanks to a decisive header from Virgil van Dijk in the closing moments of extra time. Despite the challenges posed by injuries, Jurgen Klopp's team, which included several youthful talents, witnessed their seasoned leader secure the club's 10th title in the competition.

Van Dijk, who had an earlier goal annulled by VAR, ultimately delivered the winning goal with just two minutes remaining in extra time.

This victory marks Liverpool's first piece of silverware since Klopp announced his departure at the season's end. The German manager is optimistic that this triumph, their first since the 2022 FA Cup, will propel the team into an extraordinary send-off campaign. Liverpool, who are pursuing a quadruple, are currently at the Premier League summit, are set to play Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round, and have a Europa League last-16 matchup against Sparta Prague.

For Chelsea, this result adds to their recent Wembley disappointments, having lost both the League Cup and FA Cup finals to Liverpool in 2022. Despite Mauricio Pochettino urging Chelsea supporters to look beyond title victories in assessing his first season, the team's lack of domestic trophies since the 2018 FA Cup is evident. Chelsea's failure to capitalize on numerous opportunities during the regular time contributed to their defeat.

Liverpool's injury woes, with 11 key players sidelined, including Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, and Dominik Szoboszlai, meant that younger players like 20-year-olds Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott had to step up, with six of Klopp’s substitutes also aged 21 or under.