Liverpool sealed their place in the Capital One Cup final after beating Stoke City in a penalty shoot-out on Tuesday evening at Anfield, as Joe Allen booked their place at Wembley next month.
Though the Reds lost in normal time, the 1-1 aggregate scoreline dragged the game through to penalties - where the hosts came out on top to a raucous reception - but what were the main talking points?
Luck not in but justice prevails
When Liverpool face Stoke it is always usually a dogged, drab affair. The last three meetings between the sides have now ended with a 1-0 scoreline, this one included.
From the start both sides were evidently nervy, with a lack of flow to the play, passes not connecting and high balls being played at each end of the pitch.
This lack of creativity within both sides showed, with Roberto Firmino finding it difficult to adjust to the opposition's style-of-play as they gave no time or space on the ball, with the Potters looking to hit the target men of Peter Crouch and Jonathan Walters.
Stoke eventually made the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time however, with Bojan finding Marko Arnautovic for a seemingly easy finish in the box - but TV cameras appeared to show that Arnautovic was well offside when the ball was played, though the goal stood.
This really put the pressure on Liverpool for the rest of the night, with the notion that another Stoke goal could diminish their cup final hopes but they stood firm.
You could possibly reconcile with the Liverpool players for being of the opinion they deserved the justice that came with a penalty shootout win.
The spectacular home fans
On a night where the team needed them the most, the Anfield crowd really came to the fore, belting out a spectacular rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone before the game and after the 90 minutes.
We also saw a wonderful tribute to a young Liverpool fan who recently passed away and there was no doubt that this drove the team on in their quest for a final place.
Jürgen Klopp has spoken a lot this season about the importance of the fans in these situations and the crowd duly delivered, the atmosphere increasing when Joe Allen cooly slotted away the decisive penalty.
One hopes that the fans can bring this level of noise to Wembley once more on February 28.
Jon Flanagan still has it
After almost 18 months out, the young Scouser made a cameo appearance against Exeter in the FA Cup 3rd round replay but last night, Klopp took the risk of starting him to replace an injured Nathaniel Clyne and this risk paid off brilliantly.
The local lad was fantastic from start to finish. His old fashioned solidity giving the Liverpool defence a great structure. The great thing about Flanagan is that he plays the full-back role to perfection, not attacking unless he sees a clear opportunity and holding his position when there's a threat.
Another factor of Flanagan's play is his bite. He is not afraid to get stuck into a tackle and this has made him a firm Liverpool fans' favourite.
You could argue that some other Liverpool players could learn from him as he has the desire that every Liverpool fan is looking for in a player.
With Clyne quite solid in the right-back position, Alberto Moreno has had quite a shaky season in the left-back role and Flanagan's versatility mean he could have huge competition. There is no doubt that Moreno is a good player but overall this season and last night, there were more negatives than positives.
Although Moreno's crossing and pace cannot be matched by Flanagan, he tends to go forward far too much leaving the defence wide open especially when playing an opponent like Stoke, who use the counter attack to perfection.
He was caught out big time for the goal last night and at this level this is a major mistake. Furthermore, Klopp has a soft spot for Flanagan and one has to feel that Moreno's place in the side could be at risk as Flanagan gets fitter over time.
Can Mignolet and Benteke restablish their form again?
Personally, last night I felt that Simon Mignolet had one of his best games this season. He looked solid under the high ball and could not be blamed for the goal. He looked more dominating in the box and you have to question if he can push on now and regain some form.
The Belgian has come under intense scrutiny from Liverpool fans after signing a new five-year contract with club, with many fans of the opinion he didn't merit this based on his lacklusture shows so far this season.
However when Liverpool needed him the most, he came up with the goods saving from Marc Muniesa in the penalty shoot-out and handing Joe Allen the chance to send Liverpool to Wembley, of which he made no mistake.
It was a bit of a night of redemption in a way, as another player who has not showed any sort of form at all, Christian Benteke came on as a substitute to give Liverpool another dimension of attacking style and had quite an influence on the game.
The Belgian striker reinvigorated a slow, boring game and slotted his penalty away very calmly showing supreme confidence despite the pressure he has come under from the fans.
The final mention must go to Joe Allen who came into midfield and whose passing made a real difference to the side in extra time. He showed great courage and confidence to step up and take the decisive penalty and a lot of credit must go to the Welshman.
A first final for Klopp, will it be the focus?
Liverpool are the most succesful club in this competition's history and Klopp will really want to win this one. Despite the poor season Liverpool have already had, it would be great to get some silverware in the bosses first year.
Will he focus on it? Of course he will, finals are for winning and as we have seen in recent years, nobody ever remembers the runners up in a final. The German is aware of this. He seemed confident about facing either Everton or Man City in the final which is a good sign.
Liverpool would go into the final as favourites against Everton and one cannot deny that a Merseyside Derby at Anfield South would be mouthwatering.
The glamour tie would see us face Man City but there is no doubt that whoever it is on 28 February, the squad depth and mental attributes of the Liverpool players will be questioned.
For now Klopp can put this to the back of mind and concentrate on important upcoming Premier League fixtures, but with Liverpool also in the Europa League, I can see Klopp having to prioritise some of these competitions.