Chelsea and Liverpool were a treat to watch when they took a penalty shootout to the goalkeepers having to decide the outcome. It was a great display from most of the big names on the pitch but it was Liverpool’s Luis Diaz who stole the show with his dazzling skillset.
It was one for the ages when Thomas Tuchel and Jurgen Klopp met for the third time this season in the EFL Cup Final. The game saw four goals get disallowed by VAR, a 22-man penalty shootout, and the defending on display was out of this world.
🗣"Luis Diaz is going to be a superstar, this proves it."
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) February 28, 2022
🗣"More like 'Rinse' James!"
Luis Diaz produced a SUBLIME bit of skill during the League Cup final against Chelsea 😮
The touch, the turn, the no-look pass. This lad is going to be some player 👌https://t.co/4EALQzCCr8
Both goalies, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy and Liverpool’s young hero Caoimhin Kelleher were exceptional and had their own battle going on between them — who can make the best saves of the day. However, the former was not to see the extra, full-time whistle and was subbed off for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was called on for the spot-kick battle.
He then ended up saving nothing (not because he was poor but because all penalty takers were 100% on form, well except him) and was the only player to miss from the spot 12 yards out.
So pretty much in a nutshell: it was a pretty tight affair that was entertaining beyond desire despite a 0-0 scoreline for 120 minutes of football. It was rather heartbreaking to witness both teams work hard for clean sheets and then one of them lose by a penalty kick by a player who didn’t help achieve the clean sheet.
What about this guy. Took the game to Chelsea from the get go yesterday. Running directly at them, tracking back winning the ball back and of course a few no look passes just to spice it up. Luis Diaz - what a player! pic.twitter.com/2UEj8O1TJk
— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) February 28, 2022
A highlight that was hard to miss for 96 minutes, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz
A player who has just been signed by the Reds has seen a lot of time on the pitch under Jurgen Klopp and he has repaid his manager with tireless performances, each time. Just one month after his Anfield arrival and a couple of injuries to Liverpool’s front line, handed him a surprise inclusion into the starting XI.
Watching him run up and down for a full match none stop, made it appear as if he has been at Liverpool and in their setup for years already. He turned defenders inside out, provided a number of opportunities, defended from the front, and totally destroyed Reece James with a single touch.
Luis Diaz EFL Cup numbers:
- Goals – 0
- Assists – 0
- Shots – 4
- Shots on target – 2
- Touches – 71
- Pass completion rate – 83%
- Total passes – 42
- Completed passes – 35
- Take-ons – 1
- Tackles – 2
- Fouls won – 3
The football town have been raving mad about him and expect him to do great things in the near and far future with his new club. Former Liverpool defender, Jamie Carragher was full of praises of the Columbian.
It’s funny but true
Diaz has only been at Anfield since January (28 days) and has played a minimum of six games, four of them starts — which is a total of 423 minutes — and already he has hands on a trophy in England; many pointing out this would have not been achievable now or later at Spurs if he’d join them over the Reds.
The only problem Klopp has on his hands now is deciding who starts and who sits. Benching Sadio Mane over the other two forwards on the pitch didn’t go down well with the African Cup of Nations winner.
It will be the same for whoever gets benched from here on out and that’s the effect of Luis Diaz signing for the Reds. Brilliant work from Liverpool’s transfer committee once again.