After extra time, Virgil van Dijk produced an incredible goal to give Liverpool the Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea.

In normal time, the Dutchman’s header was controversially disallowed due to a subjective offside judgement involving Wataru Endo. However, as penalties were imminent, he scored again on his 42nd attempt of the match.

In a thrilling final at Wembley, Liverpool capitalised on the enthusiasm of their boisterous fans despite having a plethora of young, inexperienced players on the pitch due to an injury problem.

And by showing up in the final stages, Van Dijk made sure that Jurgen Klopp would finish his final season at Liverpool with a trophy.

Alisson Becker, Mo Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, and Diogo Jota were among the Liverpool players on the injury list heading into the match.

After Moises Caicedo’s horrendous challenge, Ryan Gravenberch had to be carried off on a stretcher, making the situation worse in the first half.

Even though Klopp had to rely on his youthful players, they excelled in a fantastic match that saw 20 shots on goal.

Caoimhin Kelleher, the custodian who beat Chelsea in the 2022 final via penalty kicks in the shootout, contributed with several outstanding saves between the posts.

However, Van Dijk emerged victorious and went on to win his maiden captain’s cap in the summer after taking over for Jordan Henderson.

Following the victory, Van Dijk expressed his emotions in an emotional interview with Sky Sports, saying, “I’m so proud of the young boys on the team in extra time.” Both teams played in a fierce match; we had opportunities as much as they did.

“Wow. It’s my first trophy as Liverpool’s captain, so let’s celebrate for the fans.”

Liverpool’s FA Cup return match against Southampton at Anfield on Wednesday marks their return to action.