There is something about this Liverpool team.
For all its qualities — the intense pressing, the defensive solidity, the whirlwind attacks — perhaps its finest is a sense of drama on occasions such as these. Just as in the League Cup final earlier this year at Wembley, Jurgen Klopp’s men needed penalties to see off Chelsea and lift some silverware at the same stadium. As improbable as it is that the Reds will become the first English team to win all three domestic competitions and the European Cup, the quadruple is still possible thanks to this FA Cup win. Two trophies in the cabinet this season, room being kept for two more. It is why Liverpool fans are still dreaming. History could still be made. Just as in the League Cup final, a scoreless 120 minutes belied the quality of the match. Chances were created, goal posts were rattled, but perhaps it was fitting that on the 150th anniversary of football’s oldest cup competition the final was decided in the most theatrical of ways as Liverpool edged Chelsea on penalties. Chelsea missed its second penalty (Cesar Azplicueta), Liverpool its fifth (Sadio Mane). There was a sense of déjà vu as the first 10 penalties could not decide the outcome — the League Cup final ended 11-10 on penalties with the goalkeepers needing to step up — but Alisson Becker saved Mason Mount’s spot kick, which gave Kostas Tsimikas the chance to become the unlikely hero. The Greece international is not a regular starter for Liverpool, but coolly slotted home to spark joyous celebrations from those in red. Liverpool’s players engulfed Tsimikas, manager Jurgen Klopp sprinted from the dugout towards his men and the fans set off flares to saturate the air with a tint of red.
