Liverpool and Chelsea fans alike would have felt a sense of deja vu with the scores level after 120 minutes of football at Wembley yesterday.
Neither side could break the deadlock in normal time. Shots from Luis Diaz and Marcos Alonso were equally matched with brilliant one on on saves from Edouard Mendy and Alisson.
Christian Pulisic tried his luck throughout the match but saw his shots drill wide of the post on a myriad of occasions.
The chance of the match fell to an unlikely goal scorer in Andy Robertson. From point plank range, the Scotsman struck a clean volley but to his misfortune his strike rattled the near post.
In a repeat of this season's Carabao Cup final, Chelsea and Liverpool had to decide the winner through penalties. Sadio Mane had the chance to win it for the Reds following César Azpilicueta's missed penalty. However, the Senegalese's fellow countryman in goal knew his international partner too well and saved to take the shootout to sudden death.
Fate lay in the hands of the 'Greek Scouser' Kostas Tsimikas following a missed penalty from Mason Mount. With the weight of Wembley on his shoulders Tsimikas looked the calmest in the stadium as he stepped and coolly slotted his penalty away to give Liverpool their first FA Cup in 16 years.
After the match and all the celebrations, Jurgen Klopp spoke to the press as per Liverpoolfc.com
Sweet sixth trophy
With the FA Cup now in the cabinet Jurgen Klopp became only the second ever manager to win the European Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and the English top-flight title all with the same English club. He gave a fitting tribute to his group of players.
"I know that my team knows exactly what I think about them, that's the most important [thing]. This is again a trophy for the whole club – of course for the team, but for the whole club. We saw before the game already what it means to the people because our hotel is pretty central, we saw them all partying already since this morning. When we came into the stadium and looked at all the faces, like when we came to the bus, we could see what it means to the people. On the pitch with the performance you saw what it means to the players.
"That we could make it is absolutely out of this world, it's unbelievable, it's massive, it's game number 60 or whatever in a very, very intense season, and putting out a performance like this is absolutely incredible. But most important – really most important – I have to say all respect to Chelsea. What a team, what a performance, in the end we all know a penalty shootout is a lottery."
Quadruple hopes
Liverpool are having one hell of a season with two trophies already secured and a Champions League final to attend in two weeks. But one trophy that looks just out of reach is the Premier League. Liverpool sit four points off Manchester City with a game in hand ahead of the final game of the season next weekend. Klopp spoke on the possibility of still winning the quadruple, he said: "Look, I said before that the quadruple thing, it's absolutely outstanding that we can talk about it. Crazy. But we sit here now, it's already 20 past nine and we play on Tuesday night against Southampton. I have no clue – really no clue in this moment – who I can line up on Tuesday.
"I think we will have to make a few changes. And then we will go there, probably the last home game of the season for them. They don't want to lose their last home game and that will be incredibly tough. So the quadruple is 'on' if you want, but off as well because of the situation we are in, that's how it is. But that's not important in the moment, to be honest.
"That we won now both domestic cups, that really is special. That Trent Alexander-Arnold is the youngest player ever in this incredible history of the Premier League who won all six major trophies, at 23, the youngest. So many special stories. And after the game I said to Thiago, if I would have known what a player you are, I would have signed you four years earlier. He said, 'You taught me running!' I take that, it's fine. He could obviously already play football pretty well but he learned running in Liverpool, that's fine.
"So many special stories, Jordan Henderson obviously and these kinds of things. It's really cool. James Milner, at a quite advanced age having such an impact on a football team. Let me say, we had to change Mo early, which was not cool. It was my decision, it was pretty cautionary. Mo said, 'I feel something, I can carry on.' I said, 'No.' A football game is not a perfect physiotherapist, it means it rarely gets better during a game. Then Virg stands with me and says, 'I feel something but it's fine I think.' We make a decision together, so he stays on but was clear when we didn't make it in 90 minutes he has to go off. It was difficult, we know that. It was lucky, we know that. But we deserved it as well and that's really cool."
Devastating Dias
Once again, Liverpool's January signing Luis Diaz set the pitch alight with his blistering pace and magical footwork. The winger earned himself a man of the match performance and his boss was full of praise for him after the match.
"What a boy, what a story, what a player – but he should have scored! I think we agree, he agrees probably. So the speed he has is insane. Not to forget, he played on the side of Chalobah and Reece James and getting in a situation like this is absolutely unlikely. The big chance he had in the first half, I think it was a pass from Trent – if you want, we can talk about his performance as well, by the way – and he should have scored in that moment with his quality. That's how it is.
"But what a player. He's outstanding. He's a fantastic boy. It's so funny, so we hug each other after the game and just shout vamos and whatever, the few words I know in a similar language. It's so funny. But he gets our football 100 per cent. We thought we saw that at Porto but that it's really like this, I feel really lucky as well, to be honest. He fits like a glove to our football and that's really, really special."
What a time to be a red
Having won every trophy possible, this Liverpool side keeps writing it's own history and is putting themselves in the books. Klopp was asked where he ranks this team in the history of football, he replied: "I don't have to make this decision and I don't have to judge this and have to think about that. Other people have to do that. I couldn't care less, to be honest.
"I enjoy the moment with these boys. We are so incredibly close with each other and with our fans, it's a pure joy to be part of this club in the moment. There's a lot to come and a lot to play, we all know that. But for tonight I decided to take that and just enjoy this moment and don't think about the next challenge we are facing. Because it's really special, it's really special.
"Imagine, like 20 years ahead and then you look back... Jordan Henderson is probably then a pundit or maybe not even a pundit anymore because he thought that makes no sense anymore, so in 20 years then you think, he's the captain of the only Liverpool team so far – hopefully not the only because maybe we can do it again, which will be completely ridiculous – but he was the first captain who won four trophies, as an example. The Trent story, all these other stories, where Virgil van Dijk was six years ago and stuff like this in his career where he thought, 'Where will it go?', the player he is, all these kind of things. When we go five years back, Ibou Konate probably played in the U16s of whatever team in France. And now we are here for this moment.
"We don't finish, it's just now for the moment a little reflection. But we don't have to decide where this team ranks. I know a few players of these teams but I cannot say how they played. But I'm pretty sure in the time when they played, they were the best teams. But meanwhile, we know so much more about training, we know so much more about sports science, all these kind of things. That's why these boys are obviously much fitter than the former generations were, it's nothing to do with football talent or whatever. If the players from the past, like Rushy or Kenny, if they would've been trained like the boys are trained today, imagine that? That would've been crazy. So, it's all good for the moment. We don't stop here, we just take the time to enjoy it for a few minutes."