Having lifted the League Cup earlier this year, Caoimhin Kelleher's place in Liverpool folklore is already secure.
It was less than 12 months ago when the Irishman was added to the goalkeepers' mural at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby after helping the Reds to that record-setting ninth triumph at Wembley.
Kelleher became the 14th face on the mural after his heroics - both with his hands and feet - against Chelsea in the national stadium on February 27. The 24-year-old scored the decisive kick penalty in a dramatic penalty shootout that Liverpool won 11-10 after Chelsea substitute keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who had been specifically sent on for the spot-kicks, blazed over.
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The artwork celebrates those goalkeepers who have helped Liverpool to glory and Kelleher's likeness now proudly sits alongside legendary faces like Bruce Grobbelaar, Ray Clemence and current custodian, Alisson Becker.
"Yes, obviously it's been a great competition for me as it's given me the opportunity to play games," Kelleher told the ECHO in an exclusive chat during the club's training camp in Dubai.
"It's given me the opportunity to play in finals and it's a competition that has gone really well for me, so yes, hopefully it can be the same against Manchester City."
Eight of Kelleher's 18 appearances for the Reds have come in the Carabao Cup and if the painting that was inspired by his Wembley performance has earned him a place in Anfield history, there is another curious statistic that further highlights his excellence when called upon.
The penalty shootout win over Derby County at Anfield last month saw the former Ringmahon Rangers keeper thwart the visiting side with three saves from Conor Hourihane, Craig Forsyth and Lewis Dobbin, as one of the youngest Liverpool teams ever selected booked their place in the fourth round to set up Thursday's visit to Manchester City.
The victory meant Kelleher has won four of his EFL Cup appearances via spot-kicks with his six saves in total now, officially, a club record. It was a stat that stunned Jurgen Klopp upon learning of it last month.
"The most in history? Wow!" said Klopp. "They were really good penalties. They were all going into the corner, it's not like there was a bad one. He is absolutely exceptional. He's a modern goalie. As calm as you like. He can play football and on top of that he can keep the ball out of the net. I am over the moon for him. When he smiles you know it means a lot for him. There are still a lot of goalkeeping years to come from him."
The Reds manager's influence behind the rise of Kelleher cannot be overstated. It was Klopp who, after naming the youngster in eight matchday squads, gave Kelleher his senior debut at MK Dons in a League Cup tie over three years ago.
Since then, the shot-stopper's maturity, calmness and passing ability have all combined to help swell his reputation. Having Alisson in front of you as first choice is likely to be a double-edged sword for any goalkeeper looking to make his name, however.
On the one hand, there is likely little opportunity to nudge ahead of a keeper who many proclaim to the best world's finest without an injury to the Brazil international. At the same time, there are few better to be learning from day in and day out in training.
But while Klopp has never skirted around the fact that Alisson, a £65m summer signing back in 2018, is the undisputed No.1, he admirably displayed a huge show of faith in Kelleher earlier this year when his deputy was named between the sticks as Liverpool chased a first domestic cup triumph in a decade.
It was a risky ploy from the manager given his vaunted first-choice was ready and waiting, but like everything in football, the result would dictate whether or not it was the right call. Kelleher's subsequent addition to the mural was vindication of that.
Kelleher adds: "Of course I want to give great credit to the manager for giving me the opportunity of playing in the final last season and sticking with me. I was so thankful to be given the opportunity and thankfully it went our way on the day and we won it.
"It gives you an awful lot of confidence when the manager shows that faith in you and you know that you have to perform then. So hopefully I have shown that I am good to play [for Liverpool ] in these games."
Kelleher will be given another chance to prove himself further when the Etihad beckons for the Reds on Thursday night. Alisson returned to training on Monday following his exploits for World Cup quarter-finalists Brazil in Qatar, but it is the Irish understudy who will be tasked with repelling the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, should they start for Pep Guardiola.
"I think we've seen with the likes of myself and some of the younger guys that we want to get on in this competition and do well because then it means that there will be more game time for us," Kelleher says, who was speaking after he had helped Liverpool to a 4-1 victory over AC Milan in Dubai.
With Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea already eliminated at the third-round stage, there is a feeling that the field will really open up for Thursday's victors, a theory Kelleher agrees with.
He says: "We're obviously playing to win the competition first and foremost but we also know we're playing for more game time down the line as well, you know, so there is plenty to play for each time.
"Look, obviously, this is only the second game we're playing in this season's Carabao Cup, so it's early days but it's against Manchester City, who are a top team and there's been a few [already knocked out]. But we need to look at this game first and if we can get through that one then it opens up but we need to do that first and hopefully we can do it."
Liverpool might just have a nagging feeling that they cannot keep hold of Kelleher forever. At 24 and a fully-fledged Irish international, there will likely come a time when he wants to be performing more regularly. For now, though, he remains the Reds' Carabao king.
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