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      ‘I shouldn’t have done that’, says Van Dijk as he reveals ‘clumsy’ regret in dressing room after Carabao Cup final win

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      VIRGIL VAN DIJK says it was a “clumsy mistake” to say he had silenced his doubters after the Carabao Cup victory.The 32-year-old Dutch defender appears to be back to his best for Liverpool after suffering two big injuries over recent years.Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk says that he has a ‘clumsy’ regret from WembleyCredit: GettyThe ex-Celtic and Southampton centre-back is hoping to help Jurgen Klopp leave Anfield this summer with yet more silverware in the trophy cabinet.They are in a ferocious fight with Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title while also battling for Europa League glory, with Atalanta up next for them in the quarter final.However, the Reds have already ensured that Klopp lifted at least one cup in his farewell season.And that was due to Van Dijk as he headed home the winner to seal a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final last month.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLA clip then emerged of him celebrating in the dressing-room afterwards and saying to the camera: “They thought I was finished…”As quoted by Voetbal Zone, Van Dijk now admits: “I was talking about it with someone this week; I shouldn’t have done that.“Why shouldn’t I have said that? Because it now seems as if that negative period really hit me hard.“Of course it probably did, in moments, but my point was that many people do not realise how complex an anterior cruciate ligament and an inner ligament injury is. And that you don’t just get back to the level you were at before.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERHe continued: “I’m disappointed by the unnecessary sounds I create myself. I don’t like noise around me at all, I prefer people talking about the match.”Van Dijk then added: “I think it’s clumsy of me. It distracted from what we are doing and what I want – to have a top season with the club and play the best year of my life.”Virgil van Dijk breaks all-time Liverpool record vs Brentford before admitting on live TV that he had no ideaWhile many pundits and fans have praised the centre-half for his form this term, he was questioned last season after a number of displays below his usual high-standard.On that criticism, Van Dijk said: “You have to deal with that and I admit that, like every human being, I am not always immune to that.“So sometimes you want to make your point, make things right and often that works against you.“You know, I understand very well that criticism is part of it and that’s fine too. But sometimes you can handle it better than other times. Everyone runs into that sometimes, right?” More

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      Fans convinced Gary Neville is secret Liverpool fan after weirdly comparing Man City goal to totally different incident

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      FANS accused Gary Neville of being a secret Liverpool fan – as he made a shock comparison over Manchester City’s opener at Anfield.The Manchester United legend contrasted John Stones’ goal with an effort from Virgil van Dijk controversially ruled out in last month’s Carabao Cup final.Viewers were stunned by Gary Neville’s assessment of Man City’s openerCredit: Sky SportsWataru Endo was judged to be offside in the build-up to Virgil van Dijk heading home in Liverpool’s 1-0 Carabao Cup final win last monthCredit: Sky SportsBut many viewers claimed the incidents were completely different.Stones nipped in at the near post to flash home a clever corner from quick-thinking Kevin de Bruyne in Sunday’s Premier League blockbuster.But Sky Sports pundit Neville homed in on Nathan Ake tangling with Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister in the middle of the box.And he compared it to the most contentious talking point from the Wembley showpiece in February.Most read in FootballThat was when Van Dijk saw a goal erased after Wataru Endo was judged to be offside and interfering with play.Endo was assessed to be impeding the movement of Chelsea’s Levi Colwill.And fans were baffled when Neville compared the two moments.One said: “Gary Neville is a full on Liverpool fan these days! How’s he calling for a foul by Ake?”Most read in FootballAlexis Mac Allister went on to level for Liverpool from the spotCredit: ReutersCHELTENHAM BETTING OFFERS – BEST FREE BET DEALS FOR THE FESTIVAL Another asked why he was “bringing up the cup final”.That viewer added: “Endo’s blocking was never a foul, but he did interfere, hence offside. Ake on Mac Allister is absolutely standard for everything single set piece, not remotely close to a foul.”Jamie Carragher reveals absolutely savage X-rated text Gary Neville sent over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool exitA third observer posted: “Gary Neville’s all over the place here, comparing the block on Mac Allister to the one in the cup final, completely forgetting the cup final one was disallowed because he was offside.”A fourth wrote: “Why is Neville trying to create an ‘incident’ when all that Ake and Mac Allister were doing was lean into each other?”And a fifth said: “Neville really wanting a foul by Ake when it was Ake’s arm being held.”But a few fans disagreed – one insisting Stones’ breakthrough goal “should have been given offside”.Ironically, however, it was Mac Allister who levelled for Liverpool with a penalty on 51 minutes. More

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      Chelsea’s heartbroken stars treated to team-bonding night out just hours after devastating Carabao Cup final defeat

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      CHELSEA’S heartbroken stars were treated to a night out in London’s West End just hours after their devastating Wembley defeat.Boss Mauricio Pochettino, the squad and backroom staff enjoyed a meal and were allowed to relax at a posh bar and restaurant in the vicinity of the club’s Stamford Bridge ground.Chelsea’s players went for a team-bonding meal hours after the Carabao Cup finalCredit: RexMauricio Pochettino and his staff also attended the meal after defeat at WembleyCredit: RexHead coach Pochettino’s motto is ‘win as a team and lose as a team’.So he kept the booking open even though his players were reeling from losing last Sunday’s Carabao Cup final in extra time to Liverpool.For many of Pochettino’s £1 billion squad it was the first time they had played in a major final and for some it was the first time they had played at the 90,000 capacity national stadium.The squad went straight out after the game and the get together was seen as a chance for the young players to get to know each other better. They also discussed their shared experience at Wembley.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLStamford Bridge insiders insist the dinner date was low-key and informal.Training went ahead as normal the following morning on Monday when a further team meeting was held to get the loss out of their systems..Chelsea recovered from losing their biggest game under Pochettino’s nine month reign to beat Leeds on Wednesday and move into the last eight of the FA Cup.They face Leicester later this month for a place in the semi finals and a return trip to Wembley.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSPochettino is now preparing his players to face struggling Brentford in the Premier League tomorrow.Speaking ahead of the match, he revealed what his idea of success in May would be.Frank Lampard reveals brutal Roman Abramovich blast after ex-Chelsea owner threatened to axe first team starsThe Blues boss told reporters: “[We] want to win every single game. It is normal. We are Chelsea, [we] hope we can win all games.”We should be ready for another game at Wembley. We need to start to win games in the league and get close to the positions at the top.”Chelsea suffered an agonising extra-time defeat to Liverpool on SundayCredit: Rex More

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      Roy Keane hits out at Gary Neville for ‘bottling it’ as Man Utd legend’s brutal Mauricio Pochettino jibe backfires

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      MANCHESTER UNITED legend Roy Keane has teased Gary Neville over his “blue billion pound bottle jobs” comment.Neville left fans stunned during the Carabao Cup final when he described Chelsea as “blue billion pound bottle jobs” in extra-time.Gary Neville branded Chelsea ‘blue billion pound bottle jobs’ at the weekendCredit: GettyRoy Keane teased his former team-mate about itCredit: YouTube / The OverlapMauricio Pochettino’s side had just conceded a Virgil van Dijk header with two minutes to play.The Blues had £105million man Enzo Fernadez on the pitch at the time as well as Moises Caicedo – the most expensive player in British football – and £88.5m winger Mykhailo Mudryk.Meanwhile, due to various injury issues Liverpool were forced to play youngsters Jayden Danns, 18, Bobby Clark, 19, and James McConnell, also 19, until the final whistle.Chelsea went on to lose 1-0 but Pochettino branded Neville’s comment as “unfair”.Read More on FootballDuring his post-match press conference, he said: “We are a young team and (it is) nothing to compare with Liverpool (just) because they finished with also a few young players. I think it’s impossible (to compare the two sides).”He (Neville) knows, he knows the dynamics are completely different.”I think it’s not fair to talk in this way, if he said that.”Neville’s comment was a topic of conversation during this week’s episode of Sky Bet’s Stick to Football Podcast.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSAnd the full-back’s former team-mate Keane was quick to tease him about it.When discussing score predictions from the weekend, Neville was told that he got three out of six correct, meaning he picked up six points.’Gary, what have you done?’ – Pochettino hits out at Neville AGAIN after Chelsea ‘billion-pound bottle jobs’ jibeHowever, Keane was quick to joke: “You bottled it,” before the room erupted into laughter.Earlier in the episode, Neville admitted that he was “not proud” of the comment.He revealed: “I got progressively angrier during extra time with Chelsea, and I thought to myself, initially I was going to use Boehly’s name, but I didn’t want to personalise it, then I thought, should I say it, is it too strong?”I was thinking that as I said it and sometimes when you think that you might think that it’s a reason not to say it, but I felt as though it needed to be said, it’s a harsh line.”After the game I went to the producer and asked whether it was harsh, he said it might be a touch harsh, but he said, ‘We’re on television, in entertainment and its one of the biggest moments this season, last minute goal,’ and secondly, ‘Did you think they bottled it?'”I said that they froze in extra time, there is no doubt that they were playing with fear and froze.”I was actually going to do a roll back on my podcast, the day after, and say that I shouldn’t have probably used that word ‘bottle,’ but when I heard that Mauricio thought the team were playing for penalties, I thought that it was the epitome of freezing.”When I think of it today, people say it’s a great line, but I don’t think of it as a great line, I don’t feel proud about it.”I remember my David Luiz comment ten years ago, and I regret that because it was personal. I don’t personalise a line anymore.”Bottle doesn’t mean cowardness, they just froze on the day, we froze in games sometimes, in Champions League Semi-Finals.READ MORE SUN STORIES”Sometimes you do freeze – Manchester United, the year before they won the Premier League title against Leeds, they bottled the run in.”We bottled the run-in, when we were without Roy in 1998, against Arsenal – we’ve all bottled run-ins.” More

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      Under-fire Chelsea boss Pochettino reveals message from Todd Boehly after devastating Carabao Cup loss

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      CHELSEA boss Mauricio Pochettino has lifted the lid on what Todd Boehly said to him after Carabao Cup heartbreak.The Blues lost 1-0 in the final to a youthful and injury-hit Liverpool side.
      Mauricio Pochettino claims he needs more time at ChelseaCredit: Getty
      Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali both contacted the manager after final defeatCredit: Getty
      Owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have splashed the cash since buying the club two years ago and Gary Neville labelled the team “billion-pound bottlejobs”.
      Pressure is mounting on Pochettino with the club tenth in the Premier League and again likely to miss out on European qualification.
      But the former Tottenham and PSG manager still has the support of Chelsea chiefs.
      Pochettino revealed: “The owners showed support to me after the final.
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      “Todd Boehly also sent me a nice message.
      “After the final, during the night, I met Behdad and we were talking.
      “We were sharing our opinions of the game and the opportunity we missed.”
      This comes despite some fans being convinced that Poch ignored the owners when collecting his runners-up medal at Wembley.
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      And the Argentine boss believes he just needs more time to work his magic at Stamford Bridge, saying: “Liverpool spent four years, Jurgen Klopp didn’t win a title but got the support from the club.
      “Now they are getting what they deserve because of that.
      Chelsea’s ‘billion pound bottle jobs’ MUST stick with Pochettino
      “For us, after seven or eight months, to get to the final is a massive achievement in this project.”
      Chelsea can keep their hunt for silverware alive tomorrow as they face Leeds in the FA Cup fifth round.
      Although they will have to do it without star man Christopher Nkunku after he picked up yet another injury.
      The attacker is said to be out for “three to four weeks”. More

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      ‘Is this a wind up’ fumes talkSPORT host as he storms out of studio and says ‘I don’t want to be here’

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      JASON CUNDY stormed out of the talkSPORT studio after being relentlessly teased over Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final defeat. The Blues have now been beaten in six consecutive Wembley finals after Liverpool’s 1-0 win in extra-time.
      Jason Cundy was trolled by fans after Chelsea’s final flopCredit: TalkSPORT
      He stormed out of the studio after they played sad musicCredit: TalkSPORT
      Jamie O’Hara found it hilariousCredit: TalkSPORT
      Chelsea were branded “billion-pound bottlejobs” by Gary Neville after losing to Jurgen Klopp’s youthful and injury hit side.
      Cundy, 54, discussed the game live on the radio last night alongside co-host Jamie O’Hara.
      And he was constantly mocked by callers with the ex-Tottenham star encouraging fans to poke fun at Chelsea.
      O’Hara said: “We asked for a violinist to serenade Cundy after the loss and guess what? Someone has just voice noted us on WhatsApp doing just that.”
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      talkSPORT then faded in a message from a fan named Ellie, who reflected Cundy’s mood by playing sad music with a violin.
      It wound up the pundit as he raged: “What is going on? What is happening here? What is happening here? Seriously? Is this a wind-up?”
      Cundy then stormed out of the studio as O’Hara giggled: “Cundy’s left. He’s walked out. It’s amazing.”
      He eventually returned to the studio but was then laughed at by a Maidstone supporter.
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      Cundy admitted he knew the stick was coming and he dreaded having to talk to fans about Chelsea’s flops.
      He ranted: “I’ve been waiting for this all day. Can I just say, I’ve had a terrible day.
      Chelsea’s ‘billion pound bottle jobs’ MUST stick with Pochettino
      “I woke up this morning and I didn’t want to get out of bed.
      “You just want to stay in bed. Close the curtains. Close the blinds. Just hide away from the rest of the world. 
      “I don’t want to be here. I love my job and I’m very lucky, right.
      “But I can think of a thousand places I’d rather be right now than sat here. I don’t want to be here.” More

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      Chelsea ‘looking at Pochettino replacements’ after Carabao Cup final woes and ‘retain interest in top European manager’

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      CHELSEA are reportedly drawing up a list of replacements for Mauricio Pochettino after yesterday’s defeat in the Carabao Cup final.And Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim remains locked in Todd Boehly’s sights.
      Chelsea have reportedly drawn up a list of potential replacements for Mauricio PochettinoCredit: Rex
      The Blues remain keen on Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben AmorimCredit: Alamy
      The Blues were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool at Wembley thanks to a 118th minute header from Virgil van Dijk.
      Jurgen Klopp’s men emerged victorious despite having a number of academy teens in the side.
      And Chelsea remain without a trophy under the leadership of Boehly after spending £1billion since his 2022 takeover.
      The American has already worked his way through three managers, first sacking Thomas Tuchel before moving onto Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.
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      But the Mail claims Boehly could yet make it four after starting to explore replacements for Pochettino.
      And high on the list is Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim, who was a top candidate for the job last summer.
      His Portuguese side are two points off top in the Primeira Liga with a game in hand.
      And Amorim is one of several names on a shortlist to replace Pochettino should Chelsea decide to pull the trigger.
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      The Blues were expected to land a top four finish this season after spending eye-watering fees on stars like Moises Caicedo and Christopher Nkunku.
      But Chelsea are 17 points off fourth-place Aston Villa.
      Chelsea fans convinced Mauricio Pochettino IGNORED Todd Boehly after Carabao Cup final defeat
      And losing the Carabao final even saw them miss out on automatic qualification for the Europa Conference League.
      Chelsea’s season now rests on the FA Cup, with the Blues facing Leeds on Wednesday.
      Defeat in that match could prove to be disastrous for Pochettino, whose ties to Spurs have already driven a wedge between him and Chelsea supporters.
      After losing to Liverpool, the Argentine urged his players to “feel the pain” of the result.
      He said: “They need to feel the pain. We played for a trophy we didn’t get. Now it’s the same, what can you tell me to feel better? Nothing.
      “We are very competitive and now we need to move forward. They [the players] need to feel the pain like us.
      “They need to realise that we need to work more, do better things. We need to improve and compete in this level against a side that in the last five, six, seven years has competed for big things.
      “It’s about arriving here first and then feel what it means to play for a big trophy. I remember after three, four years they (Liverpool) lost the Champions League [final], they lost the Europa League [final].
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      “They keep believing in the project and in the next season [got] stronger until they got what they wanted.
      “That is a good example, Liverpool. We want to challenge a team like Liverpool. [We should not be] frustrated today because we didn’t get the trophy. We need to keep believing as that is the most important thing.” More

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      Neville turns back on Sky Sports host as he is CUT-OFF mid-rant in second blast about Chelsea ‘billion-pound bottlejobs’

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      GARY NEVILLE had his rant about Chelsea cut short by Dave Jones live on Sky Sports.The Manchester United icon was in full flow when he was cut-off by Jones who was hosting Monday Night Football.
      Gary Neville was interrupted by Dave Jones while on a passionate rant about Chelsea
      He shot a sarcastic thumbs up to Jones leaving the studio in fits of laughter
      He also poked fun at Jones by turning away from the shot
      He turned back around to smile at the camera
      Jones, Jamie Carragher and Gael Clichy couldn’t contain their laughter
      Neville was discussing Chelsea’s shortcomings during their 1-0 Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
      But while trying to get his point across, colleague Jones was forced to interrupt him to keep the show ticking to its time restraints.
      The MNF host said: “Gary thank you…” before Neville quickly joked back to him “Thanks Dave” and shot a thumbs up to the screen in the studio.
      The 49-year-old then hilariously turned around from the camera and left Jones in floods of laughter alongside Jamie Carragher and Gael Clichy who were in the studio with him.
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      Neville had been discussing his comments on Chelsea’s last minute cup final heartbreak in which he described Mauricio Pochettino’s team as “billion pound bottle jobs”.
      But the typically honest pundit admitted he was actually feeling some regret over his harsh words that followed Virgil Van Dijk’s Wembley winner, saying: “I feel bad now”.
      Although he reiterated that he was still left extremely frustrated by Chelsea’s tactics which saw them overturned by an inexperienced Liverpool side flooded with academy graduates.
      He said: “If you hear my commentary during extra-time I was getting angrier with Chelsea from the first minute until two minutes to go [when Liverpool scored].
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      “I could smell the fear in Chelsea from the very first minute of extra-time when I said: ‘why are they sitting off them? Why are they letting these young lads grow’.”
      He went on to add: “Maybe bottle is a very strong word, but [they were] playing with absolute fear, freezing.
      ‘I can’t wait until Klopp leaves’, shouts Gary Neville live on Sky Sports after Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final win
      “Whatever you want to call it – that’s what we saw in extra-time and ultimately I don’t want that tag to stick with them.”
      Neville even admitted that during extra time there was a point where he didn’t know who a number of the players on the pitch for Liverpool were.
      He said: “They made those substitutions and I actually pulled my headphones off, put my microphone down and said ‘Carra I haven’t got a clue who is playing for Liverpool here!
      “‘There’s three or four players and I don’t even know who they are.”
      Jamie Carragher made it clear that if Chelsea are to shake the nickname given to them by his punditry pal then they need to start lifting some silverware.
      He said: “Billion pound bottle jobs, it’s a great line. And unfortunately for Chelsea, whether they like it or not, that line is going to stick with them until they win something big.”
      There’s been a lot of backlash elsewhere for Neville’s sharp words with the likes of Gary Lineker and Ally McCoist speaking out against his criticism of the Blues.
      Gary Linker has spoken out against Neville’s commentsCredit: Getty
      Ally McCoist has labelled Neville’s words as ‘unfair’Credit: Getty
      McCoist told TalkSPORT: “I think [calling Chelsea bottle jobs] is unfair. It’s strong. 
      “They could have won it. I think it’s extremely strong and wrong to call them bottlejobs, but they do deserve criticism.”
      While Lineker was in agreement when speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast.
      He said: “I thought it was a bit strong. They could have easily won that game.
      “I thought Cole Palmer could have won the game but it was a brilliant save from Kelleher.”
      Chelsea boss Pochettino also made his feelings clear on the criticism aimed at his squad.
      Speaking after the 1-0 defeat, he said: “I have a good relationship with Gary and I don’t know if that’s how I can take this opinion. But I respect his opinion.
      “Of course, we made a few changes with [Conor] Gallagher and [Ben] Chilwell in extra time, it is true we didn’t keep the energy of how we finished the second half.
      “But for sure I feel proud. I feel proud of the players, I think they made a big effort.
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      “We are a young team and, there is nothing to compare with Liverpool [just] because they finished with also a few young players. I think it’s impossible [to compare the two sides].
      “He [Neville] knows the dynamics are completely different. I think it’s not fair to talk in this way, if he said that.”
      Mauricio Pochettino has defended his teamCredit: Rex
      Chelsea saw the game slip away in the dying embersCredit: Rex More