No silverware but there's light at the end of the tunnel

For Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and his devastated players there was a painful sense of deja vu as a dramatic Capital One Cup final ended in defeat to Manchester City.

More gut-wrenching heartache under that giant arch.

As Yaya Toure delivered the killer blow in the shootout, captain Jordan Henderson buried his head in the turf. Daniel Sturridge wept as City celebrated.

Penalty shootouts have provided so much joy for Kopites through the decades.

From Rome to Istanbul, Cardiff to Wembley, five major trophies had been secured by Liverpool holding their nerve under intense pressure.

Not this time. Having experienced the ecstasy so often in the past, here was a heavy dose of agony.

Buoyed by the sight of Fernandinho missing after Emre Can had dinked home the first spot-kick, the Reds looked primed for more glory.

But Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana were all denied by the heroics of Willy Caballero with Jesus Navas, Sergio Aguero and Toure netting for City.

“We feel s***,” was Klopp's succinct summing up of the funereal mood in the dressing room.

The walk up those 107 steps to the Royal Box was a weary one. The medals collected were not the ones Liverpool had come to claim.

The sight of City skipper Vincent Kompany, who showed his class by consoling those in red, lifting the trophy was the most bitter of pills to swallow.

For the third successive occasion, Liverpool were beaten at Wembley as another prize slipped away. For Klopp, there was more capital misery following defeat with Borussia Dortmund here in the 2013 Champions League final.

Yet amid the fallout there was hope. “Light at the end of the tunnel,” was Klopp's phrase.

Over 120 minutes Liverpool went toe to toe with the most expensively assembled team in English football and came out second best by the most narrow of margins.

Trailing to Fernandinho's goal early in the second half, the Reds produced a gutsy late rally brimming with spirit and desire.

Coutinho restored parity and they looked the more likely winners during the extra half-hour.

The applause from the 32,000-strong travelling Kop at the end spoke volumes. It was a show of appreciation for what they had witnessed.

Of course there were flaws. It's crystal clear that this is a squad in need of some major surgery and Klopp will be granted both the time and patience he needs to mould it in his own image.

But just the fact that Liverpool made it to Wembley was a sign of the progress Klopp has overseen over the past five months. Operating with someone else's players and hampered by serious injury problems, the German has united and galvanised the club.

Klopp spearheaded revolutions at both Mainz and Dortmund in his homeland. There were bumps along the way. The pain of initially falling short was followed by historic triumphs.

There is good reason to believe his story at Liverpool will follow a similar path.

His immediate challenge is to ensure this defeat doesn't fester – that chins are quickly picked off the floor. With a Europa League last 16 showdown with Manchester United to come and a Premier League campaign to rescue having slipped to the unacceptable depths of ninth, there is still much to achieve. This season isn't a write-off.

It was a difficult performance to make sense of. Liverpool didn't freeze like they did here against Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final 10 months earlier but neither did they sparkle. They didn't come close to hitting the heights of November's 4-1 mauling of City at the Etihad.

Simon Mignolet lurched from one extreme to the other – gifting City the lead before pulling off three fine saves to atone for his blunder.

Defeat was especially cruel on Lucas, whose Wembley dream ultimately turned into a nightmare. It was a gamble by Klopp to start the long-serving Brazilian midfielder at centre-back but it paid off.

Lucas read the game well, he was combative and calm in possession with Aguero kept under wraps for long periods. But the fact he was Liverpool's best performer underlined the failure of those further forward to truly make an impact.

The opening 45 minutes were cagey with neither team willing to throw caution to the wind. Liverpool moved the ball around neatly but never really looked like hurting City.

Nathaniel Clyne did a job on Raheem Sterling, who once again flopped against his former club.

But the Reds were rocked by the sickening clash of heads between Mamadou Sakho and Emre Can.

Sakho, who came off worse, tried to continue but strolled around in a daze before being told by doctor Andy Massey he couldn't continue.

The Frenchman was distraught but taking him off was the right decision.

With Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren still unfit, Klopp was then effectively without his three frontline centre-backs.

Kolo Toure replaced Sakho and again the veteran Ivorian could hold his head high.

When Aguero did burst clear, Mignolet expertly tipped his strike on to the post.

In the second half City raised the bar with David Silva starting to pull the strings and Liverpool were chasing shadows.

Within four minutes the Reds trailed as Fernandinho's low drive somehow eluded Mignolet.

Alberto Moreno was a glaring weak link and City kept on exposing the left-back's defensive deficiencies. Sterling's embarrassing miss was followed by the Spaniard getting away with tripping Aguero in the box.

Klopp made his move. Lallana replaced Moreno with the tireless James Milner moved to left-back. Divock Origi soon followed for the ineffective Firmino.
Origi improved Liverpool and with seven minutes to go they were level. Sturridge's low cross was hammered against the post by Lallana and Coutinho gleefully converted the rebound.

Suddenly, the mood was transformed. Momentum was with the Reds and Mignolet added to that sense of belief – thwarting Toure and then Aguero.

Liverpool found another gear in the second period. A new lease of life. Origi could have won it but Caballero beat away his header.

History was on the Reds' side. They had won 14 of their 17 previous shootouts but what followed cut deep. The class of 2015-16 couldn't take that leap into Anfield folklore.

Crestfallen Kopites could at least console themselves in the knowledge that this isn't the end, this is just the start of the journey under Klopp.

Liverpool will be back. Klopp will oversee happier Wembley days than this.

Source: Liverpool Echo

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