Liverpool have the next few weeks to soak up and enjoy the fact they’re back in a Wembley final for the first time in six years.
You would have to rewind back to February 2016 for the last time that the Reds made the trip to the national stadium with a major trophy on the line.
Of course, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have travelled there to play Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League matches in that time, but that has nowhere near the same level of hype or excitement.
Chelsea stand in the way of Liverpool winning their first League Cup, indeed their first domestic trophy, since Sir Kenny Dalglish’s winning side against Cardiff City in 2012.
While a trophy is up for grabs and Liverpool will be determined to get the result over the line, next month’s Wembley showpiece provides another opportunity for the Reds.
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The Carabao (League) Cup is the first major final in the English footballing calendar, and as a result the first opportunity for a team to put some silverware early in the bank.
If you look back at Liverpool’s fairly recent history when reaching the final of the competition, it also bodes well for their efforts in the other competitions.
The last two times that Liverpool have reached the final of the League Cup - 2016 and 2012 - in both of those seasons the Reds have gone on to reach the final of another major cup competition.
In 2012, Liverpool reached the FA Cup final but lost, coincidentally, to Chelsea, while Klopp suffered another final defeat in the Europa League in 2016 at the hands of Sevilla.
What’s also interesting, though, is looking at what Liverpool have gone on to win when they already have a League Cup already under their belt.
The Reds have won the competition eight times, with no other club in England managing more than that – with Man City equalling their record last season.
In five of those winning seasons, Liverpool would go on to win at least one other major honour alongside the League Cup.
In 1980/81, Liverpool went on to win their third European Cup, then in the following two seasons (1981/82 & 1982/83) a First Division title followed a League Cup triumph.
The 1983/84 season, the fourth consecutive year that Liverpool won the League Cup, also saw the Reds win their fourth European Cup.
And in slightly more recent years, the 2000/01 campaign has become famously known as ‘The Treble Winning’ season.
As well as a League Cup, Liverpool also won the FA Cup in remarkable fashion against Arsenal, plus a memorable ‘Golden Goal’ victory over Alaves in the UEFA Cup.
What we can take away from this history, is that winning the League Cup is the stepping stone to success for Liverpool.
It’s not just the Reds who have thrived off of winning this competition, but also Man City.
They have dominated the competition in recent years, and have gone on to win four Premier League titles and an FA Cup in the last six seasons they lifted the trophy.
While winning one competition, of course, does not guarantee you success in another, it does help give confidence and instil a trophy-winning belief in the squad and the whole club.
So should Liverpool go on to beat Chelsea next month at Wembley, do not be too surprised if another major final comes along later in the season.
