Despite a raft of stars absent with injury, Liverpool triumphed after extra time at Wembley courtesy of a towering header from the Dutchman

Virgil van Dijk's extra time header secured Liverpool their first trophy of the season in their bid to win the quadruple as they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup final.

In a game where Van Dijk and Raheem Sterling had goals ruled out for offside in either half, the Dutch defender would not be denied a second time as he guided a header into the corner just before the game went to penalties.

After beating the Blues on spot-kicks in 2022 at this same stage, Jurgen Klopp's youthful side heaped more misery on Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea on Sunday.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Wembley…

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Caoimhin Kelleher (8/10):

Superbly denied Cole Palmer from point-blank range, was so quick to smother Conor Gallagher's late effort, and put in an impressive all-round display between the sticks.

Conor Bradley (7/10):

Looked lively from the get-go in attack and outshone opposite number Ben Chilwell. Even when he was booked in the first half, the Liverpool fans sung his name in appreciation of his performance.

Ibrahima Konate (8/10):

Had a couple of good tussles with Raheem Sterling but seemed to more often than not win that battle. Showed great pace to hold up Nicolas Jackson when through on goal and pulled off some great last-ditch challenges.

Virgil van Dijk (9/10):

Looked imperious in Liverpool's backline at times and the totemic figure thought he had scored a superb header only for it to be ruled out for offside in the build-up. The Dutch rock would not be denied, however, and scored the winner at the death to cap off an imperious performance.

Andrew Robertson (7/10):

Swung in some dangerous crosses in the first half, the best of which found the head of Cody Gakpo, whose header hit the post, and then for Van Dijk's disallowed goal. Had some trouble with Palmer at times, though.

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Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):

Marshalled the midfield well, showed plenty of energy, got stuck in, and wasn't afraid to try his luck at goal from range. Tired a bit towards the end of his outing.

Wataru Endo (7/10):

Was like a pitbull terrier in the early exchanges and pressed Chelsea's players into mistakes. Was, perhaps, unfortunate to be offside moments before Van Dijk looked to have given Liverpool the lead.

Ryan Gravenberch (4/10):

Looked a little off the pace in the game's opening stages but before he could make an impact he went off injured following a late challenge by Moises Caicedo.

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Luis Diaz (7/10):

Seemed to be the biggest threat in Liverpool's more makeshift front three as his pace and trickery caused Chelsea's defence a few issues.

Cody Gakpo (6/10):

Went oh so close to breaking the deadlock but his header cannoned off the post. Was a bit rash with some of his finishing and needed to lead from the front more as one of the more senior players.

Harvey Elliott (6/10):

Showed some neat touches and interplay and while he perhaps didn't provide enough substance in attack in normal time, grew as extra-time wore on.

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Joe Gomez (6/10):

Was caught out a couple of times in defence when he replaced the injured Gravenberch.

Bobby Clark (7/10):

Came on for the marauding Bradley in the second half and looked bright when given a chance to shine.

Konstantinos Tsimikas (7/10):

Slotted in nicely for Robertson when called upon and also produced some teasing deliveries into the box. Got the assist for the winner at the death.

Jayden Danns (8/10):

The youngster looked to run at Chelsea's defence from the moment he came on and directed a well-placed header at goal, that was well saved by keeper Djordje Petrovic. Nearly won it in extra-time, too.

James McConnell (7/10):

Settled into the game nicely when he was introduced.

Jurgen Klopp (9/10):

Was hamstrung by a raft of injuries and a youthful, inexperienced bench but was brave to trust his young charges in such a big game. He was more proactive than his managerial counterpart Pochettino. In his last season as manager, the German will now try and win the Premier League, Europa League, and FA Cup, too.