5 things we learned from Liverpool's remarkable Carabao Cup triumph

Liverpool won their record tenth League Cup with a 1-0 victory against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.

The much-depleted Reds stood tall and conquered the Blues under the arch to take home the first major domestic trophy of the 2023/24 season.

Much has been made of Chelsea's collapse, but we're here to honour Liverpool for their success. Here are five things we at learned from Sunday's classic.

Football management is not simply about picking a team and devising tactics. It is about connection and feeling, coaching and developing, turning boys to men.

Jurgen Klopp is not just the guy prowling the Liverpool technical area, but an embodiment of the club. There is no better figurehead, no modern great more legendary around Anfield.

It wasn't by design to have so many academy kids running around out on the Wembley turf, but this season has been about needs-must for the Reds. Everyone needs to be ready to step up, including youngsters in a cup final. That starts and ends with Klopp.

It's poetic that he managed to win a Carabao Cup with a lineup that has so often resembled ones that have been accused of disrespecting the competition at earlier stages. Maybe that's why Klopp hailed this as his 'most special trophy'.

Liverpool were almost universally criticised for agreeing to Southampton's £75m demands to sign Virgil van Dijk in January 2018. Yet over half a decade later, he's still delivering the goods on the biggest stages.

Now club captain, Van Dijk is leading with the armband as well as by example. He thought he'd opened the scoring with a fine header on 60 minutes, only for it to be ruled out for offside against Wataru Endo. The Dutchman would eventually get an even sweeter reward with a 118th-minute winner instead.

At the other end,