LIVERPOOL’S quest for the unprecedented quadruple continues as they beat Chelsea at Wembley YET AGAIN.
The Blues squandered several opportunities during the match – most noticeably Christian Pulisic who could have had himself a hattrick.
And Jurgen Klopp’s men wasted chances of their own, including striking the post twice in two minutes.
But it was Liverpool who kept their composure in the penalty shoot-out which has resulted in Chelsea suffering THREE consecutive FA Cup final defeats.
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- RESULT: Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool (5-6 on pens)
- TV channel: BBC One/ITV
- Free live stream: BBC iPlayer/ITV Hub
- Chelsea XI: Mendy; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Pulisic; Lukaku
- Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Thiago, Keita; Salah, Mane, Diaz
A Tuch unlucky
Managers Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel agreed Liverpool’s FA Cup final glory came down to ‘tiny margins’.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Mason Mount missed penalties as the Reds repeated their Carabao Cup shootout joy over the same opponents, this time with a 6-5 success following a goalless 120 minutes.
And Liverpool boss Klopp ‘couldn’t be prouder’ after his ‘mentality monsters’ won an ‘incredible, tense’ final.
Counterpart Tuchel claimed he was sure Chelsea would win – ‘until the final minute’.
So it’s two down, two to go, in Liverpool’s Quadruple hunt.
And skipper Jordan Henderson believes today’s triumph shows ‘attitude, personalities and incredible talent’ are their driving force.
‘Sad’ Tuchel felt sure Chelsea would win
Thomas Tuchel claims he was sure Chelsea would win the FA Cup final – right up to Liverpool’s final shootout penalty.
The Blues boss praised his ‘excellent’ side for shutting out ‘maybe the most dangerous attacking team in the world’ as the Reds triumphed 6-5 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.
And he revealed just how confident he was that they would come out on top – after Liverpool beat them the same way in February’s Carabao Cup final.
He told the Wembley press conference: “No regrets. I’m proud of the team.
“We were sure we could make life for Liverpool difficult – and we did again.
“We struggled in the first 15 minutes then we were excellent and played a goalless draw against maybe the most dangerous attacking team in the world.
“I was sure before the match and I was sure during the game we would win.
“I was sure momentum was on our side and I was sure until the very last minute and unfortunately I was not right.”
And the final reason Liverpool won it…
ALEXANDER-ARNOLD CAN DEFEND
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is panned for some of his defending — and rightly so.
He plays a massive part with his assists and brilliant passing but at Wembley he starred with vital interceptions and denied Alonso and Pulisic.
England rival Reece James was Chelsea’s best player with outstanding tackling.
Final breakdown – continued
ALISSON DELIVERS AGAIN
Keeper Alisson has delivered so many key moments for Liverpool.
And do not forget it was his headed winner against West Brom near the end of last season that kept his team in the Champions League hunt.
Arguably, the Brazilian should have got the official man-of-the-match award.
He made big saves from Marcos Alonso and Christian Pulisic during the 90 minutes before that save from Mason Mount in the shoot-out.
CHELSEA LACKING UP FRONT
Despite Alisson’s big moments, Chelsea should have created more chances.
They were unable to make Liverpool pay for their many wasted opportunities.
Romelu Lukaku laboured up front and wasted his one really decent opening.
His 85th-minute replacement, Hakim Ziyech, made little impression but one of the weirdest cameos in a final was by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was used as a false nine for 14 minutes in extra-time before being replaced.
How final was won and lost
Liverpool kept alive their hopes of the quadruple while Chelsea lost a third successive FA Cup final.
Here, SunSport’s Charlie Wyett looks at where the game was won and lost.
THE UNLIKELY PENALTY HERO
Kostas Tsimikas had been forced to wait in the wings in his 21 months at the club due to the outstanding form of left-back Andy Robertson.
The Greek was a surprise replacement for Robertson in the second period of extra-time and it was an inspired decision by Jurgen Klopp to let him take Liverpool’s seventh penalty.
His spot-kick was outstanding and although he is not good enough to be a first-team regular, here was his moment of fame.
Klopp joins Fergie with clean sweep
Liverpool’s FA Cup final triumph makes Jurgen Klopp the only manager apart from Alex Ferguson to have won all four big domestic honours – the Champions League/European Cup and English top-flight crown, plus FA Cup and League Cup.
Mount’s six jinx
Mason Mount missed a crucial penalty in Chelsea’s FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool, condemning himself to SIX consecutive Wembley final defeats.
The Blues academy product stepped up and missed his sudden death spot-kick in the penalty shootout, before Liverpool ace Konstantinos Tsimikas wrapped the game up.
It means the England and Chelsea ace has now lost SIX consecutive finals at Wembley in his professional career.
Mount’s bad luck at the national team’s stadium started back in 2019 during his loan spell at Derby.
The 23-year-old was playing under Frank Lampard at the time but lost to Aston Villa in the Championship play-off final. He then followed it up with back-to-back FA Cup defeats in 2020 and 2021.
Mount then suffered heartbreak with England, who were penalties away from their first major trophy since 1966, but they were toppled by Italy.
And this season, back-to-back losses to Liverpool on penalties in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup added more insult to injury for the Chelsea fan. Mount’s bad luck is leading to some fans believing the midfielder is “cursed”. One fan said on Twitter: “Mason Mount is really cursed at Wembley.”
Blues pull off unwanted treble
Chelsea became the first team to lose three straight FA Cup finals.
After Arsenal won 2-1 in 2020 and Leicester triumphed 1-0 last year, Liverpool completed a domestic shootout double over Thomas Tuchel’s men this afternoon.
We’ll be back
Chelsea vowed to recover from their second shootout loss against Liverpool.
The Reds completed stage two of their Quadruple bid as FA Cup final joy followed Carabao Cup glory.
And the Blues tweeted: “To a man we gave it everything. We are Chelsea, we’ll be back.”
Blues lacked killer Tuch
Chelsea suffered shootout heartbreak at the hands of Liverpool for the second time this season, writes JACK ROSSER.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are still on for a remarkable quadruple after both Cesar Azpilicueta and Mason Mount failed from the spot at Wembley, handing the Reds a first FA Cup under the German.
Chelsea had to ride their luck at times – recovering after a terrible start in which Luis Diaz could have scored twice.
But they had plenty of chances themselves and were too wasteful when it really mattered.
American Christian Pulisic sent good chances agonisingly wide in either half while he should have played a better ball for Marcos Alonso in the first half.
Alonso was racing through but the pass forced him into a heavy touch, allowing Alisson to save.
Pulisic was Chelsea’s most dangerous player – but fell short when it mattered most.
Boss Thomas Tuchel must shoulder some blame too. With Liverpool leaving acres of space thanks to their high line, Pulisic had showed that pace could hurt them.
Despite that, Tuchel decided to keep a confident Timo Werner on the bench throughout, instead turning to Hakim Ziyech and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to bolster the forward line.
It is desperately cruel to lose on penalties again, especially with one Chelsea legend, Azpilicueta, and another in the making, Mount, being the ones to let the Blues down.
Tuchel’s true task at Chelsea is to ensure they mix it with Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the table next season. After four draws from four games against Liverpool this season Chelsea will feel close to doing that. To make that next step, they need a killer touch at the crucial times.
READ THE FULL VERDICT HERE
‘Bottle job’ attacks Mounted on Mason
Mason Mount has been branded a “bottle job” by brutal trolls online after his FA Cup final penalty miss, writes TOM SHEEN.
The Chelsea star played the full 120 minutes as his side battled with Liverpool under the Wembley arch.
Like in February’s League Cup final, the two sides couldn’t be separated – with neither able to score in two hours of play.
The match went to penalties, with Mount not stepping up until the Blues’ seventh spot kick – after forgotten man Ross Barkley.
Cesar Azpilicueta had already missed from 12 yards, only to be bailed out by Edouard Mendy’s save from Sadio Mane.
Mount wouldn’t be so lucky, with Kostas Tsimikas tucking away the following penalty to seal a 6-5 shoot-out win for the Reds.
Social media was subsequently full of trolls criticising Mount for failing to score. One wrote: “Mason Mount’s a bottle job pass it on.”
Another asked: “Mason Mount the biggest bottle job in football?”
Pointing out his record, one fan wrote: “Mason Mount is the biggest bottle job ever 6 finals now init?” Another pointed out: “When it’s Mount he’s cursed but when it’s Kane he’s a serial bottler.”
A kinder fan pointed out: “He’s rather a blessed one @masonmount_10. How many people get such finals to play. His time will come. Even Klopp has started winning trophies.”
Henderson hails ‘incredible talent’ of Reds
Skipper Jordan Henderson says ‘attitude, personalities’ and incredible talent’ earned Liverpool their FA Cup glory over Chelsea following a similar shootout success in the Carabao Cup final.
He told the BBC: “We’re here to lift trophies, we work so hard all season.
“It’s a big moment for us, we haven’t been in this final for some time so to win it was special.
“It was difficult, we knew it would be. We’ve had so many games in a short space of time. It was a big blow with Mo going off and Fab last week.
“But that’s what we’re all about, the attitude and mentality to keep going and to dig in when it’s tough. So to win it on penalties is incredible.
“It’s fine margins, especially in finals, as we know in the last two. We’ve just got to give everything like we always do.
“it’s incredible some of the talent we have got in the dressing room and the personalities. You put that together and you win trophies really.”
‘This gives us confidence for Quadruple bid’
Shootout hero keeper Alisson claims Liverpool’s belief they can win the Quadruple is growing.
Teh Brazilian saved two spot-kicks as the Reds triumphed 6-5 on penalties following a goalless draw int he FA Cup final at Wembley.
And he told BBC One: “It’s amazing, we did such a good performance.
“It was a proper fight, we kept a clean sheet.
“I am so happy. Myself and also Mendy did amazing saves.
I couldn’t have done the saves without the help of the team. They “work well and make it easier for me.
“Chelsea did really well but we deserved to win this. I only make the save because we deserved to win this.
“This gives us more confidence in the Premier League and also the Champions League final. It’s a fantastic moment now, we just need to enjoy.”
Klopp hails his ‘outstanding mentality monsters’
Boss Jurgen Klopp praised Liverpool’s nerves of steel as they completed a domestic shootout double over Chelsea.
Klopp told the BBC: “Outstanding, it was an incredible, intense game against Chelsea – they would have deserved it [the win] exactly the same way, like in the Carabao Cup – that’s how small the margins are.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my boys, the shift they put in, how hard they fought, early changes.
“All of these things, missing good chances, overcoming good moments from Chelsea, then having really good moments ourselves.
“Then in the penalty shootout, it was nerve-racking, my nails are gone but I really feel for Chelsea – for the second time, 120 minutes and you get nothing, that’s too hard. But for us I’m pretty happy.
“We are mentality monsters but there were mentality monsters in blue as well – it was one penalty.
“Chelsea played outstanding but in the end there must be one winner and that was us today.”
Mo Salah at the double
Liverpool have completed the domestic cup double, and there could be more to follow.
And that wasn’t the only double on display after the game.
While one concern that Reds fans may have is on the fitness of Mo Salah, who hobbled off in the first half, it appears they have a readymade replacement for the Egyptian (otherwise known as Thiago in disguise).
Lucky number seven for Kostas
Kostas Tsimikas was the unlikely hero for Liverpool, stepping up to take Liverpool’s decisive seventh penalty.
And the Greek defender has just revealed to the BBC that he asked Jurgen Klopp if he could take the seventh kick. It’s almost as if he knew…
It is very, very special for me. The manager asked me which one I wanted to take and I said I wanted the number seven. I am very very happy. I chose the right side!
Kostas Tsimikas
Third time’s a harm for Blues
Losing one FA Cup final is tough, but three must really smart.
On a day that’s all about making history, Chelsea have made the wrong kind by becoming the first club to lose three consecutive FA Cup finals.
- Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool – Liverpool won 6-5 on pens (2022)
- Chelsea 0-1 Leicester (2021)
- Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea (2020)
Credit: @OptaJoe Twitter Reds rise for another trophy
Just like they did in February, the Liverpool players are making their way up the Wembley steps and will shortly receive another trophy – this time the FA Cup – from the Duke of Cambridge.
James Milner leads his teammates to the top, where he is met – and warmly hugged – by his manager, Jurgen Klopp.
The losing Chelsea players and the match officials have already received their medals, and have quickly departed the scene.
So here’s Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, at the back of the queue, and ready to send one end of Wembley into a glorious roar of delight.
The midfielder takes the world’s most famous trophy in his hands, and – after a dramatic pause – thrusts it to the sky amid a sea of confetti.
Liverpool are the winners of the 2021-22 FA Cup.
It’s a cup double for Liverpool
It’s a sea of red in the Wembley stands, where the celebrations are only matched by those unravelling on the pitch.
Every player in the Liverpool squad, and every member of staff are out there to embrace these scenes and each other.
Kostas Tsimikas is hoisted upon to the shoulders of his teammate as the Wembley sky is lit up with red flares.
Goal! Kostas Tsimikas wins the FA Cup for Liverpool!
Kostas Tsimikas is the hero!
Left footed, the defender sends Edouard Mendy the wrong way to find the bottom corner and seal the shootout.
Chelsea 5-6 Liverpool
Saved! Alisson keeps out Mason Mount!
A big hand from the Brazilian stopper denies the England international!
Chelsea 5-5 Liverpool
Diogo Jota must score! Diogo Jota does score!
Top corner! Brilliant!
Chelsea 5-5 Liverpool
Goal! Hakim Ziyech puts Chelsea in front!
Despite a pause to clear a smoke bomb from the pitch, the Moroccan buries his penalty.
Chelsea 5-4 Liverpool
Saved! Edouard Mendy denies Sadio Mane!
The Liverpool forward has the chance to win the cup, but his spotkick is dramatically saved by his international colleague.
Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool
Goal! Jorginho keeps Chelsea in it!
No hop, skip or messing this time! The Italian buries it!
Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
