Virgil van Dijk header sinks Chelsea in extra-time of EFL Cup final

Virgil van Dijk's goal in the 118th minute secured a 1-0 win for a young Liverpool team against Chelsea in the EFL Cup final. This marks the first time that Jürgen Klopp has lifted the same trophy twice during his tenure with the Reds, adding to his collection of seven individual titles.

Chelsea came into this game with the goal of kickstarting Mauricio Pochettino's tenure, while Liverpool were looking to secure their first silverware of a trophy-filled season for Klopp.

The match began nervously, with both teams having a lot on the line. However, Liverpool quickly settled into the game and had a chance with a looping header from Luis Díaz, which was saved by Đorđe Petrović. Another opportunity for Díaz was denied by Petrović after a slip from Axel Disasi.

Despite Liverpool's dominance, Caoimhín Kelleher was called into action in the 20th minute, making a fantastic save to deny Cole Palmer. Wataru Endō then prevented Nicolas Jackson from scoring on the rebound.

Although the score remained level, Klopp was left frustrated when Ryan Gravenberch had to be substituted in the 28th minute due to a challenge from Moisés Caicedo.

Chelsea's hopes were dashed when Jackson set up Raheem Sterling for what seemed like a simple finish, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside by the narrowest of margins.

The Blues' progress was evident, despite facing some scares before halftime. Cody Gakpo's header hitting the post and Levi Colwill blocking Conor Bradley's shot added to the tense moments.

In the second half, there was a clear determination from Liverpool, and Van Dijk believed he had scored the go-ahead goal at the 60-minute mark.

However, their celebrations were short-lived as the goal was disallowed due to Endō impeding Colwill while being in an offside position. .

Conor Gallagher had three significant chances to secure the victory, but he hit the post, was denied by Kelleher's quick reaction, and then missed the target with another attempt.

A champion remained frustratingly elusive as Christopher Nkunku directed the ball into Kelleher's waiting hands after it had bounced around in Liverpool's penalty area during stoppage time.

This resulted in the teams staying tied after 90 minutes for the eighth occasion in their last nine head-to-head matches, with the match appearing to be heading towards a penalty shootout after Petrović made impressive saves from headers by Jayden Danns and Harvey Elliott.

The young Reds were put in front by the experienced leadership of Van Dijk in the dying moments, as Liverpool added to their collection of EFL Cup triumphs by becoming the first team ever to win this tournament 10 times.

Furthermore, the Reds handed Chelsea their sixth consecutive defeat in cup finals at Wembley - three of which have been against Klopp's team.