Liverpool clinched the Carabao Cup deep in extra time against Chelsea.

Both teams saw potential openers cancelled out in 90 minutes with Raheem Sterling seeing a strike against his former employers chalked off by VAR.

Virgil van Dijk appeared to have given Jurgen Klopp’s side the lead on the hour mark from Andy Robertson’s free kick but saw it disallowed for offside.

But the Dutchman ended up having the last laugh in the 118th minute by producing a carbon copy header to turn a Kostas Tsimikas corner home.

Here were the key talking points from Wembley:

Klopp produces his greatest feat yet

Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour promised to deliver one final showstopper..

The past eight-and-a-half years under Liverpool’s outgoing manager have been a rollercoaster of sheer emotion, often ending with unbridled joy.

But even by those lofty standards, few could have anticipated that the German would produce what was his greatest feat at a first time of asking.

What started as an evenly-matched contest turned into David vs Goliath.

Such is Chelsea’s largesse that they were able to make multiple changes which were considerable upgrades in technical profile as well as price tags.

The Reds, meanwhile, were reduced to relying on reserves with only Kostas Tsimikas representing a higher value introduction than Andy Robertson.

Not that Klopp had much option, with only Tsimikas, Joe Gomez and Adrian representing any semblance of senior experience on the substitutes’ bench.

And yet, the Carabao Cup is winging its way to Anfield instead of across London thanks to an almost superhuman effort from those same players.

When Kopites look back on the Klopp era, this latest visit to England’s national stadium will rank on par with some of his finest achievements.

Reds’ academy journey comes full-circle

The mood around Kirkby will be even more euphoric on Monday morning.

Success creates its own natural uplift but for Liverpool’s academy staff, the culmination of a decade’s worth of hard work and dedication has paid off.

Before Klopp’s arrival, the Anfield production line had virtually ground to a halt since the days when Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher et al broke through.

Some former managers weaponised the youth system for their own ends while others simply washed their hands of it; unwilling to even give it a chance.

Klopp, however, took a more nurturing approach to Liverpool’s homegrown crop that has helped smooth over that once stymied pathway to progression.

Eight graduates from the Kirkby nucleus were named in the matchday squad at Wembley and six made their mark during their wide-ranging appearances.

Caoimhin Kelleher was impenetrable; Conor Bradley redoubtable and Jayden Danns, Bobby Clark and James McConnell all belied their teenage years.

Belatedly, Anfield’s last fabled generation has found a fitting successor.

Walking wounded at Wembley

Even in victory, a season heavily disrupted by injury shows no end in sight.

Ryan Gravenberch’s cup final outing lasted barely a half-hour when he was stretchered off with a suspected ankle injury from Moises Caicedo’s challenge.

The sight of the Netherlands international being carried down the tunnel and later hobbling through on crutches threatens to add to a growing casualty list.

So, too, did the emergence of Wataru Endo in the mixed zone in identical fashion; wearing a protective boot supposedly after another Caicedo tackle.

Liverpool were already contending with a treatment table in double figures as Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai missed out again.

But the growing number of walking wounded threatens to leave Klopp’s side even more stretched for a midweek FA Cup encounter against Southampton.

Should their worst fears be confirmed, the Carabao Cup holders will have a stronger starting XI on the sidelines than available options on the pitch.