The Carabao Cup has often been dismissed as an inferior piece of silverware.
In fairness, it is the least valuable of the three on offer in English football, though that shouldn’t take away from the magnitude of the performance Liverpool delivered on Sunday.
Ravaged by injuries – crucially missing Mo Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez – the Merseysiders pulled off an unlikely victory in extra-time against an expensively assembled Chelsea side.
Despite that, some commentators, Piers Morgan included, took time to mock the achievement and Jurgen Klopp’s emotions.
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Completely missed the point, Piers
With all due respect, Piers – you’ve completely and utterly missed the point.
If Jurgen Klopp praises our Carabao Cup final performance as ‘the most special trophy’ he’s ever won – it’s not to claim the trophy is superior to the league or Champions League.
But how on earth can you not get emotional at the fact we managed to pull off such an improbable victory that saw five players aged 20 or under play a role?
How can you not tear up at the sight of Conor Bradley showing all the gusto of a senior starter? How can you not weep with joy at the sight of an 18-year-old Jayden Danns striking fear into the hearts of the Chelsea backline?
If none of that matters, then football simply isn’t for you.