LONDON (AP) — Add the FA Cup to the collection. Jürgen Klopp has now won every major title for Liverpool.
A 6-5 victory over Chelsea on penalties in Saturday’s final produced Liverpool’s first FA Cup triumph since 2006 and kept it in contention for, potentially if unlikely, a quadruple of trophies.
Just like in the League Cup final in February, the FA Cup showpiece ended 0-0 through 120 minutes before Liverpool prevailed again. This time, the Reds were helped by Chelsea midfielder Mason Mason’s penalty being saved before Konstantinos Tsimikas clinched the shootout win with his first-ever goal for the club.
“The small margins are again the difference and I cannot be more proud of my boys,” said Klopp, who has emulated Alex Ferguson with Manchester United and become only the second manager to win the European Cup, Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup with the same English club.
In two weeks, Liverpool will be hoping to win the Champions League final against Real Madrid. Before then, Klopp has to hope Manchester City slips up in the final two rounds of the Premier League and Liverpool takes advantage to regain that trophy.
There was only more Wembley pain for Chelsea. Weeks of ownership turmoil for Chelsea are ending by becoming the first team to lose three consecutive FA Cup final appearances, having been beaten by Arsenal in 2020 and Leicester last year.
The final of world football’s oldest competition had never gone to penalties before at Wembley. There hadn’t even been a goalless final after extra time since it started being played at the national stadium in 1923.
But Liverpool’s last FA Cup success in 2006 was in one of the two previous shootouts that settled the cup final that both happened in Cardiff while Wembley was being rebuilt.