Luis Diaz runs Chelsea into the ground to rid Liverpool of their underachievers tag

Liverpool had something to lose at Wembley. Not, as it turns out, the League Cup. Nor the 'coin toss' of a penalty shoot-out.

There was another, unwanted title to shed as Kepa Arrizabalaga sent the decisive penalty towards the sea of red in the Wembley stand. That of ‘underachievers’.

Such a tag was unbefitting of a side which already has a Premier League and Champions League victory. It says more about the standards set. Make no mistake, the club branding of ‘This Means More’ has been replaced by ‘We Want More’, Jurgen Klopp and his players lining up to agree one Premier League and Champions League was not enough.

This, they are bound to say, is just the start where this season is concerned, too. The Carabao Cup will not completely satisfy ambitions. The expanding portfolio is essential, though, maintaining momentum for the FA Cup, Champions League and title run-in to come.

Watching from the VIP seats, members of Liverpool’s ownership group were able to see the fruits of their investment for the first time in two years.

Principal owner John W. Henry and Tom Werner must feel like they lived through several eras since they had to cancel the flights for the title run-in of 2020, watching from afar in Boston and Los Angeles as the 30-year wait for the league title ended in front of an empty stadium, and then wondering if such heights would ever return during the grim form of lockdown 12 months ago.

In fairness to them and club President Mike Gordon, they never blinked, assured such scenes would return when stadiums were full.

Even as the penalties were being dispatched, this match decided by the finest of margins, Henry and Werner must have mused on how much the club has advanced since their last domestic final loss in