Virgil van Dijk is eyeing “a few more” trophies this season after the club lifted their first with a dramatic Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea.
The Liverpool captain headed home a 118th-minute winner to settle the Wembley clash deep in extra time, having had a goal controversially ruled out by VAR in normal time.
Both sides had big chances throughout, with Van Dijk’s goal the 20th shot on target of a remarkable encounter, but it remained in the balance and penalties appeared to be on the cards until the Dutchman stepped up in the closing stages.
It gave Liverpool the first major trophy on offer this season and there could be plenty more to come, in Jurgen Klopp’s final few months in charge of the club.
The Reds sit top of the Premier League, a point clear of Manchester City and two ahead of Arsenal. They have an FA Cup fifth-round match to come in midweek, at home to Southampton, and a last-16 clash in the Europa League against Sparta Prague next month.
Liverpool will hope Klopp’s final match as manager comes back at Wembley on May 25, when a quadruple could potentially be on the line, but Van Dijk refused to look that far ahead.
“I won't speak too soon, but hopefully we can win a few more,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
"The talk about it being Klopp's last season is not from within the squad, that is from the outside."
Liverpool finished the match with a number of youngsters on the pitch, amid a growing injury crisis, but they still found a way past Chelsea’s expensively-assembled squad.
Caoimhin Kelleher was a big reason for that, producing a brilliant save early in the match to deny Cole Palmer and then rushing off his late towards the end of the 90 minutes to superbly stop Conor Gallagher’s effort, which would likely have won the final for Chelsea.
The goalkeeper has regularly got the nod in cups over Alisson Becker, who was injured anyway, and Van Dijk was full of praise for Kelleher after the match.
“I’m probably one of his biggest fans I think,” Van Dijk said.
“I’ve always said he’s world-class. He stepped up today again, it’s good to see.
“He’s a good boy, good goalkeeper and that’s what we need at a club like Liverpool.”
