da roleta： The injury-ravaged Reds had no right to beat the billion-pound Blues at Wembley but anything seems possible for this remarkable squad
da fezbet： Pep Guardiola is "99.99 percent" sure that Manchester City won't repeat last season's treble, so what chance do Liverpool really have of winning the quadruple? The Reds are ravaged by injuries right now and don't have anything like the same resources as their state-sponsored Premier League title rivals – and yet the bookies are spooked, with slashing the odds on Jurgen Klopp winning it all before he rides off into the sunset from 1500/1 to 25/1 after Sunday's Carabao Cup final triumph.
It still seems like too short a price for something that has never been done before – and especially when one considers that Liverpool ended Sunday's 1-0 win at Wembley with four academy graduates on the field aged 21 or under and 12 squad members sitting injured in the stands, including seven certain starters.
Conversely, though, that's also precisely why the quadruple no longer feels impossible. If Liverpool can get the better of one of the most expensively assembled squads in football history without so many star names, who knows what they can achieve if their injury crisis subsides in the coming days, weeks and months?
Getty ImagesThe spirit of 2019
Klopp had been once again ridiculed for his penchant for hyperbole after comparing the midweek Premier League win over Luton to the epic Champions League comeback against Barcelona in 2019, and that was understandable to a degree.
The hurdle that Liverpool overcame on that epic night at Anfield was far higher. Luton are hardly Barcelona, their humble status most amusingly summed up by their own self-effacing fans, who 'taunted' their Liverpool counterparts by signing "Conference champions, you'll never sing that!" during Wednesday's 4-1 loss on Merseyside.
But Klopp could hardly have been more excited when the full-time whistle blew, rolling out the famous fist-pumps for all four corners of the ground. He clearly saw something in his weakened starting line-up that reminded him of the spirit of 2019 – and he was proven correct on Sunday.
AdvertisementGettyKlopp's 'most special trophy'
"In my 20 years, this is easily the most special trophy," he enthused. "This was so special." And he was spot on. Never before has a Klopp team won a final after overcoming such adversity.
Remember, there was no Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones to call upon – and then Ryan Gravenberch was forced off with an ankle injury after a horrific tackle from Moises Caicedo.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool momentarily lost their way in a game that they had been dominating, with the Dutchman's enforced exit resulting in Joe Gomez coming on at right-back and Conor Bradley moving further forward.
Klopp had been reluctant to throw on one of his two teenage midfielders at that early stage of the game but by the end of of normal time, both Bobby Clark and James McConnell had entered the fray, along with striker Jayden Danns, who had only made his professional debut four days previously against Luton.
Getty ImagesKlopp's kids better than Chelsea's!
It was a stunning show of faith in Liverpool's academy products. The lengthy injury list obviously played its part but Klopp could have persisted with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo for extra-time. Instead, he turned to three youngsters with a combined 261 minutes of senior football between them – and it proved a masterstroke.
Rather incredibly, Liverpool actually dominated extra-time. Chelsea have spent nearly £400 million ($500m) over the past four transfer windows signing Under-23s – only to discover in the most painful way possible that Liverpool's homegrown heroes are better.
A lot of Chelsea's youngsters have more experience, and arguably more talent too, but Klopp's kids clearly have greater character. The German attributes that to the incredible work done by the academy, admitting only last week that he's astounded how "culture-educated the next generation" are at such a young age.
Essentially, Bradley & Co. don't just have the right talent to play for Klopp's team – but also the right temperament too. A new breed of mentality monsters were born before our very eyes on Sunday.
Getty Images'A monster manager'
It's worth recalling that there was a fear that standards might slip at Anfield following the departures of James Milner and Jordan Henderson last summer, given both had been integral in terms of setting the example of professionalism that others were duty-bound to follow. But Klopp is the key to the culture of success at Anfield – and always has been.
As former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said on , "Special managers do special things and he is one of the best that the Premier League has ever seen.
"A monster manager who has a middleweight squad, a bantamweight team out there, but it punches like a heavyweight. It's because of him.
"Look at the energy, the passion, the spirit of Klopp. I can't wait until he leaves!"