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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was delighted that his decision to start back-up goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher in the EFL Cup final paid off.
Kelleher became the youngest goalkeeper to start an EFL Cup final since 2011 after Klopp kept faith with him for the showdown with Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.
A thrilling final went to spot-kicks after a pulsating two hours of football ended goalless, with both sides missing a plethora of chances.
In a high-quality penalty shoot-out, Kelleher slotted home the 21st successful spot-kick in a row, before opposite number Kepa Arrizabalaga – who had only come on for penalties – cleared the crossbar with his own kick, resulting in an 11-10 Liverpool victory in the shoot-out as they sealed a record ninth EFL Cup success.
Speaking to Sky Sports after lifting the trophy, Klopp said that Kelleher deserved his moment in the spotlight.
“I think even in professional football, there should be some space for sentiment, to be honest,” Klopp said.
“He is a young boy, we ask him to do a lot in the competition to get us to the final, and then I [should] tell him ‘you won’t play’?
“I’m two things, a professional football manager and a human being, and the human being won.
“It’s so nice that it paid off, he deserves it.
“When I told Ali [regular goalkeeper Allison] that he would not play, at the training centre we have a wall showing all the goalkeepers are who won something [in the club’s history]. He said ‘great, let’s win and put Caoimhin on there as well!’
“That’s exactly how it should be, it’s absolutely great.”
After seeing his side lift a first domestic cup since 2012 at the end of the longest-ever penalty shoot-out between two top-flight English clubs, Klopp praised the quality of the match, but suggested that he would have preferred an easier route to glory.
“I’m fine now! But I would have been fine with 90 minutes, 1-0 Liverpool, and then we can go home,” he laughed.
“It was really good, and I’m happy that the people can celebrate something like this in difficult times.
“We matched each other, they started better, then we were better, and in the end both teams were locked together, it was a really long game.”
Having previously brought the Premier League and Champions League titles to Anfield during his successful tenure on Merseyside, Klopp also declared Liverpool would fight to win more silverware this campaign, with the Reds in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple.
“This is the start, if you like!”, he added.
“We are not silly, you need to have luck, we needed luck tonight, and the game could have been 5-5! Without the offside rule it would have been 5-5!
“We have the chance to fight [for more trophies]. We have to work hard, on Wednesday we play again, and we will give it a try.”
