‘It was incredible’: Jürgen Klopp proud of Liverpool’s FA Cup win over Chelsea

Jürgen Klopp said Liverpool’s “mentality monsters” filled him with pride after keeping hopes of an unprecedented quadruple alive by winning the club’s first FA Cup for 16 years.

In a repeat of the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool beat Chelsea in a penalty shootout following a goalless 120 minutes to clinch an eighth FA Cup and second trophy of a remarkable season. Alisson and Kostas Tsimikas were Liverpool’s heroes in the penalty shootout. The Brazil international saved from Mason Mount before the “Greek Scouser”, as Tsimikas is known at Liverpool, converted his team’s seventh penalty. Sadio Mané had earlier missed the chance to win the shootout when his penalty, Liverpool’s fifth, was saved by Éduoard Mendy.

The Liverpool manager said: “Outstanding, it was an incredible, intense game against Chelsea – they would have deserved it exactly the same way, like in the Carabao Cup – that’s how small the margins are. I couldn’t be more proud of my boys, the shift they put in, how hard they fought, early changes. All of these things, missing good chances, overcoming good moments from Chelsea, then having really good moments ourselves.

“Then in the penalty shootout, it was nerve-racking, my nails are gone but I really feel for Chelsea – for the second time, 120 minutes and you get nothing, that’s too hard. But for us I’m pretty happy. We are mentality monsters but there were mentality monsters in blue as well – it was one penalty. Chelsea played outstanding but in the end there must be one winner and that was us today.”

Alisson claimed the victory would help Liverpool in their pursuit of adding the Premier League title and Champions League to this season’s trophy haul. The Liverpool goalkeeper said: “That is part of the mentality