Virgil van Dijk paid tribute to Caoimhin Kelleher’s penalty shootout heroics in a tweet after the Cork-born ‘keeper played a vital role in sending Liverpool through to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
The Irishman’s two saved penalties helped set the scene for both Taki Minamino and Diogo Jota to net the winning penalty, with the latter taking his chance after the former missed his spot-kick.
Man like pic.twitter.com/MLrbgjfY2K
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) October 30, 2019
It’s a remarkable comeback victory for the Merseysiders after going into half-time two goals down courtesy of a Jamie Vardy double and a sensational long-range effort from James Maddison.
The spirited comeback from a much-changed XI to that which faced Antonio Conte’s Tottenham at the weekend deserves as much as praise as we can possibly throw at it.
That’s not to say that the team didn’t need a helping hand from some more senior options, with substitutions like Ibrahima Konate and Naby Keita helping us gain back control.
Nonetheless, the possibility of a run to a domestic cup final is a prospect few would have envisaged in a team that tends to prioritise the bigger competitions.
It’s a welcome sight, and coming up against Arsenal in the next stage of the competition we’ve got a genuine chance at reaching the final of the Carabao Cup.
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