Liverpool once again gets one over Chelsea in a Cup final. Remember the two cup finals they played against each other in 2022? Remember how each of the games got dragged to a full 120 minutes of play? Today's edition was the same.
The difference though is that Chelsea were clear favorites going into this game and the display of the lineup made the odds even more in favor of Chelsea. People get salty when they hear this. They just don't want Liverpool to bring up the fact that we've been dealing with an insane level of injury crisis. Well, I'm not having any of that.
This has to be said and it has to be said right;
Liverpool have had to get into games with a squad that looks below what is expected of us on paper.
To be fair, I don't enjoy stepping into games with that sort of squad. I wish we had Salah, Nunez, Trent, Szobo, Jota, Alisson, etc. I feel more confident stepping into games when we have these guys fit and ready to ball.
This doesn't take anything away from the young lads who are getting the job done. All I have is respect for them. They have proven themselves over and over again. However, let's not forget that this Liverpool side is grinding out wins with a squad that's far from what we are capable of presenting.
Today's EFL Cup final is a typical example. Check the lineup and see for yourself. Liverpool's bench looked pitiful. Each sub had a sour taste, but couldn't be helped. Thankfully, these lads played by with passion and bossed the game.
Two notable things about this game...
1. The Shitty Officiating: English football is as good as it gets, but the officiating in a lot of these games is preposterous and hurtful to the eyes. The one in this cup final was an absolute disgrace. That tackle from Caicedo to Gravenberch stinks. How he escaped getting booked for that is still a big surprise.
To be honest with y'all, I went into a dark place after that tackle. I was genuinely waiting for Endo to sweep Caicedo off the ground with a season-threatening flying tackle. The fight that was instigated by Chilwell and the way that was handled by the ref was also controversial. I still don't know what Bradley was getting booked for at that point.
2. Wataru Endo is a steal: I'm one of those who didn't know anything about Endo until he got signed by Liverpool. Yet, I've always welcomed the move. Maybe it's because of the sentimental value I attach to Asian players. The good news though is that the lad has been getting a lot of flowers from a lot of people.
Every Liverpool player that featured in this game probably deserves a shout, but I'm leaving some flowers for Endo because what he's bringing to the team right now is far beyond what anyone expected of him when he joined us at the beginning of the season. That aside, he also had to do the dirty job in midfield against a Chelsea team that's filled with highly-priced midfielders. Yet, he bossed that midfield.
The goal that won this Cup for Liverpool was scored in the second half of the extra time by Captain VVD, the big man himself. This goal came off the back of the initial goal which he initially scored but got ruled out by VAR.
I'm happy with the result and I'm proud of the lads for their performance in the game. We will rest today and get back to work in mid-week.
Congratulations to all Liverpudlians.
Thanks For Not Missing Any Full-stop or Comma.
Thumbnail Image is taken from Unsplash
Additional Image is a screenshot taken from LiveScore