Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool’s EFL Cup success has made them “even more hungry” to end the season with further silverware ahead of their FA Cup clash with Southampton.
Van Dijk’s extra-time header proved decisive as Liverpool captured the EFL Cup for a record-extending 10th time with Sunday’s 1-0 final win over Chelsea.
That victory came despite the likes of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota being out injured, while Ryan Gravenberch was carried off on a stretcher midway through the first half.
In their absence, academy graduates Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jayden Danns helped get Jurgen Klopp’s short-handed side over the line with mature performances off the bench.
Read our other Liverpool news stories here:
Liverpool: Kelleher hopes EFL Cup win is springboard to more success
Klopp update on Salah, Nunez and more for FA Cup game vs Southampton
Coutinho: ‘No regrets’ over leaving for Barcelona, talks Klopp, Flick, Neymar injury
Ahead of Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Anfield, Liverpool remain in the hunt to finish Klopp’s final season in charge with four major trophies, and Van Dijk says Sunday’s triumph should motivate them even further.
In Wednesday’s programme notes, the Liverpool skipper wrote: “What happened at Wembley on Sunday was incredible. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.
“All the problems we had before and during the game and we still found a way to win. We stayed together – on and off the pitch – and we found a way to win. This is Liverpool Football Club.
Virgil van Dijk has underscored the huge pride he feels about our Carabao Cup success, while insisting the experience can now be used as an incentive going forward 👊
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) FEBRUARY 28, 2024
“I am not even sure I have the words to describe how proud I am of the young players. What they did should never be underestimated in any way.
“They handled an extremely difficult situation in such a mature way and by doing so they made a massive difference. We simply could not have won without them.
“Winning the cup was a wonderful achievement, especially in the manner that it happened, but it came at the end of February, which means we still have three months of the season to go. We have to use this time and the games that come with it to build on this success.
“This has to be the mood for all of us. If anything, it should make us even more hungry. When you have the kind of feelings that came with winning on Sunday, you want them over and over again.”
Matchday at Anfield 🏟️
We take on Southampton in the fifth round of the #EMIRATESFACUP 👊🔴#LIVSOU | #WALKON PIC.TWITTER.COM/BWYUVMB6OM
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) FEBRUARY 28, 2024
Klopp echoed those sentiments in his own programme notes, also hailing Liverpool’s fans for sticking with their young players when the going got tough at Wembley.
“There were moments when it was really tough, but the fans sensed it and dragged us up by the bootlaces. It was sensational, truly sensational,” Klopp said.
“Everywhere you looked, you could see examples of the Liverpool togetherness that gives fuel to so much of what we do. I don’t think it is possible to think about this club without it.
“There is no longer any need for us to learn any lessons about what we can achieve when everyone is together like this.
“It just makes sense to carry on being like this and then see where it takes us. There are no guarantees, of course, but it definitely gives us a chance.”
