An intensely fought Carabao Cup final finally came down to penalties. The shootout saw all eleven players taking a penalty with Caoimhin Kelleher slotting in the winner. These are the player ratings from the Liverpool Chelsea final.
A final against Chelsea was never going to be easy, however, few expected it to go on for so long. Here are our player ratings from the Liverpool Chelsea Carabao cup final.
All stats in this article are taken from Fotmob.com
Liverpool Player Ratings vs Chelsea
Goalkeeper & Defenders
Caoimhin Kelleher (GK) – 9/10 (Man of the Match)
There was a lot of talk around whether the youngster would be able to handle the pressure of playing in the final during the build-up to the game. Kelleher proved all his doubters wrong.
Not only did he score the winning penalty, but also made four saves and played the role of a sweeper comfortably.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB) – 7/10
The 23-year-old had a mixed game. On one hand, he played the most key passes (6), but on the other, he struggled defensively. If Mason Mount had scored that one chance, Trent would have been blamed.
Joel Matip (CB) – 6.5/10
Unlucky to have his goal ruled out, Matip had a decent game. Made an important block on Mason Mount in the first half, but then almost gave Mount a simple goal in the second half.
Virgil Van Dijk (CB) – 8/10
Looked really strong at the back and was able to keep the defence under tight control. Played the most passes (72) in the game and won the most duels(9) too. Unlucky to not have scored from Trent’s corner.
Andrew Robertson (LB) – 6.5/10
Was a constant threat on the left side, but lacked delivery. Played just one key pass. However, he did press well and played a good ball to Jota in extra time.
Midfielders
Jordan Henderson (CM) – 6/10
Other than a few interceptions, the captain did not really have an effect on the game in the first half. Had decent second half going before James Milner replaced him.
Fabinho (CM) – 8/10
Not only did he have a passing accuracy of 93%, but also was a great defensive cover. Brilliant positioning and kept the midfield tidy.
Naby Keita (CM) – 6.5/10
Playing in place of Thiago, who injured himself in the warm-up, Keita looked a little out of sorts. Had a good goal attempt in the first half, but then almost helped Chelsea score one in the second. Subbed off later
Forwards
Mohammed Salah (RW) – 6/10
It is fair to say Ruidger won the duel against him. He did get the better of Alonso, but it was too little from him yesterday. The Egyptian had 48 touches, the least by any outfield player who played 90 or more minutes.
Sadio Mane (ST) – 7/10
Looked sharp against the strong Chelsea defence. Got the better of them a few times and almost assisted Luis Diaz. Played four key passes and created one big chance. Did not look happy when subbed off. Undeserved?
Luis Diaz (LW) – 8.5/10
Was unpredictable and his pace was too much for Chelsea defenders to deal with sometimes. He did put his own team into trouble a few times though. Was one of the brightest sparks in the Liverpool side.
Substitutions
Harvey Elliott (CM)- 7/10
Was a last-minute inclusion after Thiago’s injury. Came on, had a few good touches and calmly slotted his penalty. In the process, also became the youngest Red to feature at Wembley
James Milner (CM) – 7/10
Played the leader’s role in extra time and looked good at times.
Diogo Jota (ST) – 7/10
Not fit enough to start, but got a place on the bench. Got straight into the action following a 1-2 with Salah. Missed a chance to score from Robertson’s cross.
Ibrahima Konate (CB) – 7/10
The muscular centre-back was brought on to deal with Romelu Lukaku and did fairly well.
Divock Origi (ST) – 6/10
Offered another point of attack, but did not really add much to the game.