By the time Liverpool walk out at Wembley for the League Cup final against Chelsea later this month, it will have been over 10 years since they last lifted a domestic cup. Kenny Dalglish was the man in charge when the Reds overcame Cardiff City on penalties to win the same competition back in 2012, and defeats in the FA Cup Final that same season to Chelsea, and in the 2016 League Cup final to Manchester City represent the closest Liverpool have come to claiming further silverware.
Of course, Jürgen Klopp has inspired them to a number of memorable victories, not least the 2019 Champions League and the 2019-20 Premier League title, whilst also earning the club their first Club World Cup triumph in 2019 too. However, the domestic cups have continued to elude Liverpool, and it’s fair to say that Klopp has not placed too much emphasis on the competitions since they lost that final to City six years ago.
That has changed this season, as Liverpool have finally shaken off their habit of early-round exits to reach this showpiece occasion against Chelsea at Wembley. Indeed, it offers a chance for the Reds to lift a first trophy since that 2020 league title, following a slight decline in the team that performed so brilliantly for two seasons in winning the Champions League and Premier League.
Standing in their way are Chelsea, who themselves are hoping to lift a first domestic cup under Thomas Tuchel after losing the FA Cup final to Leicester City last season. The two sides have clashed twice already this season, with both games ending in a draw, so something will have to give at Wembley, although there is little separating the sides on Betdaq.
Liverpool would have been disappointed not to have won the most recent meeting between the sides at Stamford Bridge. After establishing an early two-goal lead through goals from Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah, Chelsea fought back thanks to strikes from Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic to earn a point.
The last two meetings between the teams in domestic cup finals have gone the way of the Blues, with Chelsea winning both the 2005 League Cup final and the aforementioned 2012 FA Cup final, a defeat which ultimately cost Dalglish his job. Jordan Henderson is the only remaining Liverpool player who played in that FA Cup final, and he’ll be out to get revenge and defeat Chelsea in a big final.
Some supporters may look down their noses at the League Cup, but the reality is that there are only a handful of trophies to play for each season, and winning any of them is a special achievement. If Liverpool were to win it, the celebrations might not be quite as wild as when they won the Champions League or the English title, but it would still be a moment to savour.
More importantly, victory could well spur Liverpool on to go all the way in either the Champions League or the Premier League this season. Winning breeds confidence, and lifting a trophy in late February would set the team up well for the rest of the campaign.
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