Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher 'deserves' to start Carabao Cup final

No sooner had Jurgen Klopp issued some very early team news, Caoimhin Kelleher found his phone buzzing like never before.

It was the morning of January 21 and Liverpool had just secured their first trip to Wembley in six years. 

Klopp had made it clear that Kelleher, his back-up goalkeeper, would be given the gloves for the big day against Chelsea, not Alisson Becker.

‘I don’t see any reason why we should not do this,’ said Klopp. ‘He deserves it. He brought the team here.’

Inevitably, family and friends back home in Cork began making their requests for tickets but the twist to this tale was that Klopp’s public declaration caught Kelleher by surprise as much as anyone.

The softly-spoken and unassuming 23-year-old laughs about it now but his pride at being afforded such responsibility is equally clear. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, a moment he does not intend to let pass.

‘I’ll just be relaxed and calm and try to prepare like any other game,’ says Kelleher, a Republic of Ireland international. 

‘There will be some nerves. A little bit of nerves is good. I’ve played a few games and had chances to show my ability. I’ve been happy with what I’ve done so far and now have a final to look forward to.’

He should be happy. Kelleher was the hero of the dramatic quarter-final triumph against Leicester, making two saves in the penalty shootout, and arguably enjoyed his best game for Liverpool when keeping a clean sheet against Arsenal in the semi-final.

This has been his breakthrough season. A measure of how far he has come can be gauged from the fact that there is not the slightest hint of reservation from his team-mates that Alisson is on the bench for a game of such significance. 

They believe in Kelleher, with his safe