Chelsea v Liverpool : Carabao Cup Final

Very impressed with Van Dijks penalty. Saw Kepa was had chosen to play mind games and stood at one side and then proceeded to score exactly there. He is exactly the sort of personality you would want as your rock of defence.

To be fair Kepa got into his head and played with VvD's bravado. His planned worked perfectly except for the great execution by VvD. We could have been lauding Kepa's brilliance this morning it's such a fine line.
 
How come this is a big trophy all of a sudden? I'm sure Fergie couldn't be arsed with it back in the day. Not taking anything away from these teams. Both are top level. I just think this cup is a bit Mickey mouse. I thought it was for giving up and coming players a chance, not fielding your strongest team. Cracking match all the same.
Not sure where anyone says it is? For me it's the very definition of a "nice to have", something that can make the difference between a good season and a very good or great one. Usually you're not fussed when you're eliminated, but once you are in the final, especially against a team like Chelsea, you just wanna win the thing. Don't think it's a big trophy or anything, City had won it a few times in a before this season but barely anyone batted an eyelid for that feat.

Liverpool has a special group of players right now and needs to be winning trophies, so that it won't just be PL+CL when this cycle is over, so this is a nice start. There's also people who argue you need to build up a winning mentality and a killer instinct in finals as a team, I usually don't particularly agree with that but this group has now shown that they know what they need to do in finals to get it over the line and that's nice to know, especially if you come up against a more inexperienced team. Don't think it made much of a difference against this CL winning Chelsea side.
 
I swear that the look on the faces of a good number of Liverpool players, during games, makes me wonder.
 
Good to see we're not the only ones that can't finish at the minute.
 
To be fair Kepa got into his head and played with VvD's bravado. His planned worked perfectly except for the great execution by VvD. We could have been lauding Kepa's brilliance this morning it's such a fine line.

If a penalty taker is composed, the keeper is not saving it. Its easy to mock the bravado of someone when they fail but not enough give credit when its due.
 
Last edited:
He won a lot of things. Doesn't mean he cared for it or respected it because he won it a few times.
The last 9 finals have been won by either City, Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool so safe to say the big clubs do take it seriously.
 
I swear that the look on the faces of a good number of Liverpool players, during games, makes me wonder.

Deffo properly managed for their asthma, I agree.

It’s another aspect of sports science we’ve mastered at Liverpool Football Club, the appropriate optimisation of lung capacities in asthma-compromised professional footballers via the judicious use of inhaled corticosteroids.
 
Deffo properly managed for their asthma, I agree.

It’s another aspect of sports science we’ve mastered at Liverpool Football Club, the appropriate optimisation of lung capacities in asthma-compromised professional footballers via the judicious use of inhaled corticosteroids.

Excellent sports doctors at Liver FC.
They know how it works.
 
Havertz laughing at this little idiot, like chill little guy :lol:

 
Our battles with Liverpool these days are almost always enjoyable (total 180 from the Jose/Rafa days) and we tend to play well vs them but we really need to start winning some. I don't think we've beaten them at full strength since Giroud's winner at The Bridge.
 
Our battles with Liverpool these days are almost always enjoyable (total 180 from the Jose/Rafa days) and we tend to play well vs them but we really need to start winning some. I don't think we've beaten them at full strength since Giroud's winner at The Bridge.
Do you remember those Champions League group stage games from 05/06? Two of the worst games of football at that level you'll see in terms of entertainment.
 
Do you remember those Champions League group stage games from 05/06? Two of the worst games of football at that level you'll see in terms of entertainment.
I remember watching them and it being two total non events. In terms of specifics all i can remember to this day in either was Essien's challenge which he was retrospectively banned for.
 
Do you remember those Champions League group stage games from 05/06? Two of the worst games of football at that level you'll see in terms of entertainment.
I remember watching them and it being two total non events. In terms of specifics all i can remember to this day in either was Essien's challenge which he was retrospectively banned for.

The encounters opened up quite a bit after 2006. Some fantastic ties in 2008 and 2009.
 
The encounters opened up quite a bit after 2006. Some fantastic ties in 2008 and 2009.
The Hiddink game at Anfield was one of my personal all time favorite's due to being in a Liverpool dominant social group at the time and constantly hearing about Rafa's "master tactics" in Europe (i mean he was very good at two legged ties but the way they were banging on was becoming unbearable :lol: ).

Although the second leg was a lot more chaotic and we nearly blew it Guus totally outfoxed Benitez that night.
 
The Hiddink game at Anfield was one of my personal all time favorite's due to being in a Liverpool dominant social group at the time and constantly hearing about Rafa's "master tactics" in Europe (i mean he was very good at two legged ties but the way they were banging on was becoming unbearable :lol: ).

Although the second leg was a lot more chaotic and we nearly blew it Guus totally outfoxed Benitez that night.
That 3-1 defeat at Anfield was depressing. We started so well early on and fell apart. Hiddink knew his stuff.
 
Congratulations Liverpool Football Club on winning trophy number 49.
 
Our battles with Liverpool these days are almost always enjoyable (total 180 from the Jose/Rafa days) and we tend to play well vs them but we really need to start winning some. I don't think we've beaten them at full strength since Giroud's winner at The Bridge.

Those Jose/Rafa games were crazy intense though. Naturally, I don't like Liverpool, but I did like the fact that Rafa dragged Jose into same shithousery in terms of tactics and frustrated the hell out of him.

As for your record against them, it's been in last 4 games:

1-0 away win at Anfield with Mount scoring
and then 3 draws with them edging it on penalties yesterday.

That is quite good overall. Think you should feel relatively optimistic when it comes to them, it's only City that made you look level bellow this season.
 
Hope we avoid them in the CL, stylistically they’re a bad matchup for us and give us a hell of a game each time. I’d put them close to if not level with City in terms of teams to avoid.