Video: Liverpool Capture the League Cup

66th (away), 23rd (away), 11th (away), 5th (away), 1st (away), 1st (home), 26th (neutral).
Win, Win, Win, Win, Win, Draw, Win (pens).

Above: Liverpool's opponents' standings in the entire Football League (if EPL = 1-20, LC = 21-44 etc) at the time of their match (and venue), and the result of those matches.

t-87th (away), 55th (home), 29th (home), 37th (home), 20th (home), 31st (away), 34th (home), 7th (neutral).
Win, Win, Win (pens), Win, Win, Loss, Win (Advance on pens), Loss (pens).

Above: Same for Cardiff City.

It can be clearly shown that Cardiff did not have some sort of giant-killing dream run, knocking off teams far superior to them and being robbed in heartbreaking fashion in a final by the penalty kick "lottery". In fact, if not for Crystal Palace who they lost to in the first leg, they would have had to face Man United and surely have been knocked out. All their opposition leading up to the final was below them in Football League standings, save for Blackburn, who sat a mere three places above and only barely in the Premier League (for now).

Meanwhile, Liverpool played not a single home game until the second leg of the semifinal, having beaten three different Premier League opponents including the until-then-unbeaten-at-home Manchester City. In effect, their performance in the final could be attributed to emotional exhaustion, having had to muster up to beat all their opponents in the run in. The whole of the competition, not just the play in the final, cannot be ignored.

If anyone thinks LFC have not been good enough to win the cup, please speak up now so we can all point and laugh at you.

Dirk Kuyt said, "I've got me first trophy."  

Almost expected him to follow it up with "Alright laa"

Great article re Dirky in the Telegraph.  Such a genuine kick ass guy. love him to bits with his brilliant totally fair attitude on the pitch.  

Does he ever get booked or injured?I think he donates major cash to charity aswell - straight out of his pay packet, half of it or something like that.

Top top bloke.  Will definitely cry when he leaves.

Now the King has won a silverware in his first full season back, he can do what he wants. Kuyt will be let go. Energy and skill = Dirkie. Liverpool will miss him next season.

Hard to figure out how he is good enough to start for a top notch national side but not good enough to start for a club lying 7th in the BPL. Now the King does not have to give explanation, does he?  

Our starting line-up couldn't handle Cardiff, even at Wembley. And damn what happened to those gunners, 5 unanswered goals over Spurs? I will need an automated external defribillator at home this weekend.

Have been struggling with the idea of him leaving in the summer, even if it's somewhat likely. From not looking like he'd fit to becoming one of *the* guys in the squad that epitomizes Liverpool, it'll be a major loss whenever he leaves.

Letting Kuyt go this summer would be a bigger mistake than letting Meireles go was last summer, IMO. I don't think he's ever looked un-fit, the only thing he's lack compared with last season has been playing time. 

He was called on at a critical time in a very important match and delivered fucking amazingly. His work rate, loyalty and sixth sense for poaching goals better be rewarded with more starts between now and the end of the season. He will never angle for a move away, so letting him go at all would be an astonishing error. He should be treated exactly the same as Carra is now, a respected senior player whose experience helps to mould the younger generation and kept on until he chooses to retire on his own terms. Letting him go is unforgivable in my book.

Seconded on all counts--as for the "fit" part, not sure if I was that clear, just meant that when he first arrived his place in the squad was uncertain.

Oh, that kinda fit, gotcha. He's happy to play anywhere, striker, second striker, right wing, right back. Even put his name forward to play left back during our woes in that position. How can you let this guy go? It's unthinkable.

Best part of that video was when Carragher told Andy Burton what a twat he is.  In the middle of the celebration with his kid there, Burton has the balls to ask him if he's done as a player?  Pure crap.

Great win, great celebration - made me proud to be a reds fan, even if I lost 3-5 years off my life watching the penalties.

YNWA

Liverpool love to win difficult in cup final :
1) Liverpool lift the UEFA Cup in 2001 after a thrilling 5-4 victory over Alaves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
2) Liverpool won FA Cup 2006, beat West Ham, 3-3 full time, 3-1 on Penalty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
3) Who can forget what happen in istanbul 2005. 3-3 full time after coming back from 3 goals down, and won on penalty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

It looks like we move one ahead in terms of major domestic cup won ahead of ManU. 41 to 40.

 When Kenny was giving Mr Henry a hug the commentator cited both Shankly and Paisley as Kenny's illustrious predecessors,at that defining moment YNWA was being aired...remembering the glory days made me all of a sudden have tears in my eyes..
it was moving..No matter what the FA and their allies would think we don't care,coz everybody supporting LFC knows that we were,we are and we will still for ever a club of/for working class heroes.

League Cup won yesterday, Javi Martinez rumours flying today. Wondrous days.

Also, say 'day' more.

I said enough about Setanta-i yesterday, but it really rubbed salt in the wounds that it was a ManUre game they cut away to. So once more, FUCK YOU, SETANTA-I! 

A cup final appearance, a cup win and Downing finally playing well. Happy days, fellow Redmen!

PS, the way Jamie Redknapp talks, sometimes I forget he's a former Liverpool player.

Impossible to keep a dry eye while watching that! Cheers, all!

yeah but downing played well so it's fine.

The kid prodding himself in the eye in the Liverpool vs Cardiff final was legendary :D
Got the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Pretty sure he went through every emotion warranted by that game in those few seconds. Good thing he's experienced the "joy" of pool fandom at such a young age.

Jamie Redknapp always astounds me that he can make a salary based on the idiotic comments he gives.

I guess I have been pretty lucky because Jamie rarely if ever makes it on to Aussie tv. However I did not have that pleasure for the final, and I wanted to stab him in the tongue for his character assassination on Suarez. Admittedly I may be a bit of a somewhat violent man when NOT drinking, but something tells me even if I was drinking I'd end up wanting to stab him in the tongue regardless.

I thought he was more uninformed than anything else. He looked like he didn't follow Liverpool closely enough to know Luis just missed a penalty last week to go with the one in the opening game of the season.

He is an idiot as his Alonso comments in the past prove.  these pundits just show up on the day start spouting and get paid mega bucks.

So they keep on doing it.  

Seems like most of them can barely read newspapers.

I was bothered when he said it showed a lack of character for Suarez to not be taking a penalty, but then I remembered it was Jamie Redknapp that said it, and he's a weenie.

It was high comedy watching God's puzzled expressions after some of the things Redknapp said.

Go easy on Redknapp.

It takes character to come back from all those 'injuries' he had to be fit just in time for the end of season modelling shoots!

His babydoll wife is seriously irritating too.

 Not to mention the silly way he starts picking his nail & stroking his finger when he seems nervous about backing up his comments!  Notice it next time!

I am no joke experiencing muscle twitching from the stress of yesterday's match, but even though the constant spasms of my skeletal sinew are supremely annoying, I like to think my body is just celebrating the cup victory. YNWA, left pectoral!

Not that I have a lot of experience but it seems that it's not a proper Liverpool cup final if you're not an emotional wreck afterwards. I was absolutely bonkers at the end of the game. 

As a LFC fan this was the first time I saw Stevie lift a trophy above his head and it was damn glorious. Watching all the players celebrate a cup win, many of them for the first time ever was something special. It's actually a bit strange that seeing a bunch of men I've never met celebrating a trophy for my club can evoke so many emotions. The tie that forms between the club and its fans really is powerful. I hope that this novel experience of getting to celebrate a cup win as a team will motivate the players to get that 4th place. 

Awesome! To be honest, after the game I was not as wrecked as I have been like after Istanbul, or versus Arsenal and Chelsea in 2008 and 2008/2009 respectively - and those weren't even finals. 

I can't wait til we finally get some great champions league matches, then you'll really feel the intensity. 

Winning is a habit is the cliche oft trotted out.  

The players will know all too well that the game didn't go great, but the belief of getting over the line is key as Kuyt said in his on pitch interview, and the whole squad will have felt that first hand.

It doesn't take away the development required on the pitch, the long wait for transfers to be pronounced a success (even Enrique looked poor yesterday) or embarrassingly sold at a big loss or even the possibility of a change of manager before further significant purchases are sanctioned (unlikely but possible).

But that's not the point.  

I felt something like what you are feeling after Istanbul where I sat with non-liverpool supporter friends in a pub as that second half unfolded, leaving us all breathless and speechless by the end.

Football is quite something, almost the ultimate in emotional pulls, dramatically and immediately consumed leaving you breathlessly hankering for more, but only when you pull for a team - infact that's why it's a marketing man's dream!

Big ask in the league now, and no less in the FA cup.  Roll on the reds, we know we can do it!

All game I could think only of that Maradona quote from post Istanbul: "I came across some of
their fans beforehand and they told me they were going to win, but that they
would be made to suffer." 

Step one of the project completed, and it was done with the owner in attendance. Kenny delivered on promise number 1 to Mr. Henry. That's the type of sh-t that gets the transfer kitty opened come summer. 

Absolutely CANNOT WAIT for Saturday morning. 

YNWA.