toptop
Liverpool
completed a clean sweep of the domestic cups with another penalty shoot-out win
over Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup final, as Kostas Tsimikas struck the
decisive spot-kick after Mason Mount’s effort was saved by Alisson.
It had taken 22 penalties to separate the sides in February's Carabao Cup final
and while there were only 14 taken after another goalless 120 minutes on this
occasion, it was once again Jurgen Klopp's side who clinched the silverware by
the narrowest of margins, handing Chelsea a third straight FA Cup final defeat
in the process.
Mount dropped to his haunches as Liverpool's players and staff ran off to
celebrate with their fans amid a fog of red flares - he has now lost six major
finals at Wembley.
Earlier in the shoot-out, Sadio Mane - who scored a winning penalty for Senegal
at the Africa Cup of Nations and another to send them to the World Cup earlier
this year - had missed the opportunity to clinch it for Liverpool following
Cesar Azpilicueta's strike against the post, but Tsimikas kept his cool to
become the unlikely hero.
Liverpool's success was tempered by injuries to Mohamed Salah and Virgil van
Dijk, which could potentially damage their hopes of an unprecedented quadruple,
with their Premier League pursuit set to continue on Tuesday at Southampton on
Sky Sports and their Champions League final with Real Madrid on May 28.
But the scenes of wild celebration at the end on the pitch and in the stands
suggested Liverpool were only focused on this moment. They last won both
domestic cups in 2000/01 and this was their first FA Cup triumph since Steven
Gerrard's heroics against West Ham in 2006.
The 141st FA Cup final, 150 years on from the first, had seemed unlikely to go
all the way in the opening 15 minutes, as livewire Luis Diaz gave Trevoh
Chalobah real problems during an electric start from Liverpool, but Chelsea
gained a foothold and hit the bar through a Marcos Alonso free-kick during their
own fast start to the second half.
The woodwork was then struck twice in quick succession by Liverpool at the other
end inside the final 10 minutes of normal time, with Diaz denied before Andy
Robertson miscued a close-range volley.
With fatigue setting in through extra-time on a warm Wembley afternoon,
extra-time saw the tempo drop, but the drama cranked up again in the shoot-out -
and it was once again the red end celebrating.
Those Liverpool supporters had booed both the national anthem and Abide With Me
before kick-off, but were cheering a sensational start from Diaz when play got
underway.
The winger had been a standout performer in Liverpool's Carabao Cup success over
Chelsea and was immediately tormenting Chalobah, getting the better of the
22-year-old centre-back four times inside the first quarter of an hour.
It seemed at that stage only a matter of time before a Diaz move delivered the
opener for Liverpool but, with wing-back Reece James tucking in to help out his
team-mate Chalobah, Chelsea came through the early storm and created good
moments of their own for Christian Pulisic and Marcos Alonso.
The match - and potentially Liverpool's season - took another twist on 33
minutes, when Salah was forced off. He looked relatively comfortable as he
walked down the tunnel but there will now inevitably be concerns about the part
he can play in Liverpool's remaining matches.
His replacement Diogo Jota passed up a fine chance just before half-time,
volleying Andy Robertson's cross over from eight yards before Romelu Lukaku -
starting with Kai Havertz out injured - followed suit with a trickier chance
moments later.
The second half also began with a flurry of chances - although this time they
were for Chelsea, with Alonso dragging a shot wide, Alisson saving sharply from
Pulisic, and Alonso then smacking a free-kick against the bar from out-wide.
Liverpool struck back with Robertson unable to bundle in at the back post, Diaz
shooting over from the edge of the box, Jota arrowing just off target and Naby
Keita making Edouard Mendy work. But still there was no breakthrough.
The teams continued to trade blows, with Pulisic shooting wide and Diaz bending
a fine shot over before James stopped a swift Liverpool counter-attack with a
combination of good defending and then a foul on Thiago to earn the first
booking of the match.
But Liverpool kept on coming and hit both posts in quick succession as the clock
ticked down, with Diaz denied after a shuffle and shot from eight yards before
Robertson miscued his volley from the other side when he seemed certain to
convert. There was still time for Diaz to curl just off target but, for the
fourth time this season, 90 minutes wasn't enough to separate these sides.
There was another blow for Liverpool at the turn around, with Van Dijk subbed
off and looking frustrated in the dugout. On the pitch, his centre-back partner
Ibrahima Konate took a risk when he floored Hakim Ziyech in the box, although
ref Craig Pawson waved play on.
A series of Chelsea set-pieces came to nothing and in the second period of
extra-time, with fatigue setting in, chances were again in short supply as
penalties loomed.
Tuchel's decision to sub off sub Ruben Loftus-Cheek for Ross Barkley in the
final seconds was intriguing move, given how his Kepa Arrizabalaga switch in
February back-fired.
Barkley did score his penalty but the tale had an unhappily familiar ending for
Chelsea, who - through the finest of margins - missed out on another trophy. As
for Liverpool, it's now a question of how many…
What's next?
Liverpool travel to Southampton on Tuesday at 8pm while Chelsea host Leicester
on Thursday at 7.45pm. On the final day of the Premier League season, Liverpool
host Wolves and Chelsea host Watford on Sunday at 4pm.
Liverpool's remaining fixtures
May 17 - Southampton (a) Premier League, live on Sky Sports
May 22 - Wolves (h) Premier League
May 28 - Real Madrid (n) Champions League final
Chelsea's remaining fixtures
May 19 - Leicester (h) Premier League
May 22 - Watford (h) Premier League
Teams
Liverpool Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk (Matip
91), Robertson (Tsimikas 111), Thiago, Henderson (c), Keita (Milner 74), Diaz
(Firmino 98), Mane, Salah (Jota 33)
Subs Not Used Kelleher, Gomez, Jones, Origi
Booked
Goals
Chelsea Mendy, Chalobah (Azpilicueta 106), Silva, Rudiger,
James, Jorginho (c), Kovacic (Kante 66), Alonso, Pulisic (Loftus-Cheek 106),
(Barkley 119), Lukaku (Ziyech 85), Mount
Subs Not Used Kepa, Sarr, Saul, Werner
Booked James
Goals
Attendance 84,897
Referee Craig Pawson
VAR Paul Tieney