The End of the Jürgen Klopp Era at Liverpool, Part 2: Domestic Cup Memories
When looking back at Jürgen Klopp’s time as Liverpool manager, we can’t forget the many memorable, youth-driven moments in the domestic cups.
The End of the Jürgen Klopp Era
Part 2: Domestic Cup Memories
While most will point to Jürgen Klopp’s achievements in the Premier League and Europe to define his success at Liverpool, is shouldn’t be overlooked that his sides were a consistent threat in the League Cup and FA Cup throughout his time at Anfield—even if at times it felt as though Klopp himself would rather be focusing on those other competitions.
The staff of The Liverpool Offside continue our farewell to Liverpool’s legendary manager by reminiscing about some our favourite moments under Klopp’s management in the FA Cup and League Cup.
Dexian
Let’s remember back, if we can, to the 2022 FA Cup Semi-Final. Liverpool are facing off against regular nemesis Manchester City. The quadruple chase is well on. Luis Diaz has just signed and is looking electric. Sadio Mané has reinvented himself playing the number nine role that Bobby Firmino would usually fill but was ruled out of due to injury. It was one of the few stretches, too, where Thiago Alcantara is healthy, and so he’s doing his thing out there.
In short, the vibes were immaculate. There’s no denying that in hindsight the Premier League and Champions League final losses totally hang over the season. But for that one day, everything was perfect.
A dominant Ibrahima Konaté header, an absolutely hilarious Sadio Mané slide tackle on Zack Steffen for a goal that I still laugh about from time to time to this day, and a masterful team sequence that ends in a sublime Thiago lob pass to a Mané volley. City would pull two goals back in the second half, but it was never really in doubt. The party was kicking off, and Anfield South is bouncing. Wembley was red and the fans were singing out, One kiss is all it takes, fallin’ in love with me, possibilities...
In that moment in time, the possibilities were truly limitless.
Jordan
I agree with Dex, I think its the FA Cup and that run in 2022. It’s playing the kids until you couldn’t anymore. It’s realising, perhaps a little belatedly after the drag of the early rounds, that we’re going to fucking go for it, that Jürgen just might be tired of losing this oldest-of-all football tournaments.
That run was the mentality monsters at their best, rallying from the disappointment in the league and still going through 6-5 on penalties in the end against Chelsea—and just a few months after our young, second goalkeeper had stepped up to slot a penalty home to send Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga into enough of a state to miss his own penalty and win the League Cup 11-10 against them on penalties.
Even as the rest of the season petered out and we were unable to make that storied quadruple happen (I now think of it like saying no hitter while it’s happening - don’t say it until it’s real), putting Manchester City to be in the semi final was a great moment. Finally winning one of the most elusive trophies of Klopp’s tenure, and probably the second most important in English football, was a great moment, too, with Klopp practically throwing the trophy at the fans as he lifts it towards them having won the last major trophy that had been missing from his time at the club.
Gabe
There have been some fantastic domestic cup matches, and it certainly is fun seeing the yutes get a run out as often as we have—and to see them succeed as often as we have. The EFL Cup final this season was a great display of Klopp putting his trust in the kids when the chips were down.
I will say, however, the one match that always sticks with me is the EFL final in 2022 when Liverpool went 11 for 11 on penalties. There were some absolute classics, with a Fabinho panenka and Virgil van Dijk’s ice cold penalty and stare down of Kepa. Having Caoimhin Kelleher finish it off while Kepa fluffed his attempt was just the perfect of endings.
Noel
I’m sure if I gave it enough thought I could come up with plenty of memorable moments in the domestic cups from the Klopp era—after all, his Reds won the League Cup twice, FA Cup once, and added in a Community Shield for good measure—but for me the defining moment in those cups and maybe one of the defining moments of Klopp’s time at Anfield was when Virgil van Dijk ended Kepa Arrizabalaga’s career at Chelsea.
It truly was a glorious moment to witness in real time. Not quite at the level of something like corner taken quickly, but as far as one-split-second-that-changes-everything it’s a hard one to beat. Kepa cheated all the way to the right of his goal, and instead of being even the slightest bit rattled, Van Dijk just sneered at him and leathered it into the corner on that side of the net. It was maybe the most disrespectful moment I’ve ever seen on a football pitch.
Caoimhín Kelleher eventually stepping up to bury the winning penalty while Arrizabalaga missed his in the 11-10 shootout victory put a bow on it, and as with Liverpool’s other cup runs there was a little extra joy in the Reds having won it all in spite of heavy rotation in the early rounds while Klopp put the focus on the league and Europe. But it’s Van Dijk’s penalty I’ll remember more than anything else as maybe the best single moment in the domestic cups and one of the defining moments of the Klopp era.
Steph
I’ll go simple and petty with this one. After 18 months of drama, Virgil van Dijk was signed, sealed, and delivered from Southampton. He arguably became Klopp’s most important and most impressive signing, and he was certainly the most complicated player to acquire. And he made his debut on January 5th, 2018.
The opponent? Everton. The competition? FA Cup third round. And then, 84 minutes in, with the score tied 1-1, our future captain headed in the winner to send Liverpool’s noisy neighbours packing and begin his own ascent to legend status.
Audun
Big Virg. Kepa. Absolutely twatted that one didn’t he.
And it’s not exactly a highlight, but I’ll also never forget the League Cup quarter final loss to Aston Villa, where the Club World Cup taking place 23 hours later meant we had to send our assistant manager and a team of 16-year olds to take on a Villa side that celebrated each goal like they’d hit a World Cup winner.
AJ
Maybe it’s recency bias, but I feel like this season’s second League Cup win for Klopp is really the quintessential Klopp cup run because it was done with the kids playing vital roles not just in the run-up to the final in the midst of so many first-team players out but in the final itself. It was a run and final that required sume truly gritty performances. When we talk about character, digging deep, and that essence of belief? Yeah, that performance does that, and it perfectly adds in a heavy dose of Klopp’s ability to coach up young players.
Time will tell if any of those youngsters will go on to have a significant career in Red, but even if they don’t or not many of them do—or perhaps even more so if they don’t—it was such a stand out, memorable, mentality monster kind of a performance by a side full of academy graduates to win a trophy.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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