Here are the Carabao Cup champions: Liverpool beat Chelsea thanks to Van Dijk

Liverpool and Chelsea played an unforgettable match this Sunday at Wembley Stadium. They were the protagonists of the final of the Carabao Cup 2024, the first major tournament to be defined this season in England, and gave a great show that had excitement until the last minute.

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Throughout the match, both teams showed a good level and tried, with their strengths and limitations, to achieve the victory. In the first half The Blues came close with a goal disallowed to Raheem Sterling for a previous offside by Nicolas Jackson, while The Reds suffered the same after the break with Virgil Van Dijk. In both situations the referee and VAR decisions were debatable, so the fans were not satisfied.

The 0-0 draw lasted 90 minutes and so the match went into extra time. There the pace did not slow down and both teams had their chances to score. Chelsea seemed to be better prepared to face a situation like this, as they had quality and experienced players on the field, while Liverpool ended up playing with many young players due to the large number of injuries they suffered.

Jurgen Klopp trusted them and things went perfectly: when there were only 3 minutes left for the final whistle and both teams were getting ready for the penalty shootout, Harvey Elliott sent a floated cross from the corner and Virgil Van Dijk connected the ball with a beautiful header that made goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic's save impossible. With that goal Liverpool won their first title of the season and won the Carabao Cup after two years.

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What's next for them?

Liverpool will not have too much time to celebrate. Next Wednesday they face Southampton in the FA Cup round of 16 at Anfield Road. And three days later they visit Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. But that won't be all, as they will then make their debut in the knock-out stages of the UEFA Europa League against Sparta Prague.