Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher makes stellar admission after their Carabao Cup victory against Chelsea
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com, Caoimhin Kelleher opens up about his excitement after scoring the pivotal penalty to help Liverpool overcome Chelsea in the final of the EFL Cup. The 23-year-old shot-stopper was chosen ahead and repaid the faith shown in him by Jurgen Klopp with a clinical performance on the night.
The Irish goalkeeper was an instrumental part of the Carabao Cup campaign for the Reds this season. He was the preferred option between the sticks in the domestic competition but it must have come as a real shock when the German manager chose to opt for him instead of Alisson Becker in the final on Sunday.
Whilst there were many who would have highlighted their worry about this decision before kick-off, rest assured they would have been pretty happy with the way things turned out in the end.
In conversation with the official Liverpool site, Kelleher spoke about his exploits in the match against the Blues. He compared it to a surreal dream and very few would disagree with him considering what a glorious night it was.
“Someone said to me afterwards, ‘You scored the winning penalty’ but I wasn’t really bothered about that and I was more bothered that I wanted to make a save! But, thank God, anyway I scored and we got the win. I was dreaming good things last night, that we would win, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d score a penalty at the Liverpool end, the winning penalty. That’s just next level.”
A memorable night for the Irish lad
The 23-year-old keeper has quickly grown into a dependable replacement for the Brazilian international in goal overtaking Adrian as the preferred second choice keeper in recent times. The domestic competitions have been a great place for him to gain some valuable first-team minutes.
The night at Wembley was filled with intensity, action, and everything else except for the goal in regular time. That doesn’t mean that both sides didn’t come close to scoring from open play in the 120 minutes that was accorded.
Both keepers were up to the challenge as Edouard Mendy pulled off some fantastic saves for the Stamford Bridge outfit whereas Kelleher was a dependable and reliable option at the back removing some decent saves to keep the game tied.
The Merseysiders would have been jumping with joy after Joel Matip scrambled across a header from close range in the second half only to be chalked off for being offside. Another strike by Romelu Lukaku would later be ruled out in extra time as the flag went up once again.
With a tense penalty shootout, the game could have swung in either direction, and Kepa Arrizabalaga was brought into the ring to give the West Londoners an advantage. Despite the Spaniard keeper’s recent exploits, Kelleher had the last laugh on the night.
The Irish professional footballer put the ball in the back of the net as Kepa skied his shot above the crossbar. Getting their hands on the EFL Cup could be a launching pad for even greater success this season.
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This victory was made even sweeter by the fact that we overcame our bitter rivals in the most dramatic fashion which should ensure us some bragging rights at least for the time being. The fans would also be hoping that Kelleher will make many such performances in a Reds jersey in the foreseeable future.
