Virgil van Dijk has told BeIN Sports that the atmosphere created by Chelsea fans – as well as Liverpool fans – was “outstanding” at Wembley on Sunday evening. The Reds beat Chelsea on penalties, to win the Carabao Cup.
Both sides came into the match in brilliant form – the Reds winning their last nine and league cup matches consecutively. But they faced stern competition in Chelsea, who are renowned for being excellent in Cup finals.
In a tactical affair, and one of the most-exciting 0-0 matches of the season, both sides had goals disallowed – Chelsea had three, while a controversial decision saw Joel Matip’s second-half effort chalked off by VAR.
However, Chelsea did have to rely on Edouard Mendy throughout – as the Frenchman pulled off numerous saves. Eventually, the game went to penalties. The story of the shootout, was the decision to bring on Kepa.
The Spaniard failed to save all 11 penalties. Then, Kepa had to score to make it 11-11 – but missed. Van Dijk spoke to BeIN Sports, praising both sets of fans: “The atmosphere, to be fair from both sides, was outstanding.”
Van Dijk on Chelsea fans: Liverpool star shines once again on big stage
WhoScored report that van Dijk won more aerials than anyone else on the pitch, producing a huge eight headers won. He also cleared the ball six times. He also completed 71 of 81 passes, a huge 89% completion.
A superb display, one worth of winning a Cup final. While it came down to penalties, the likes of van Dijk and Liverpool deserved to lift the Cup.
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