26 February 2024 , 06:00
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There was a moment somewhere in between Caoimhin Kelleher's brilliant save from Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling seeing his goal ruled out for offside against Nicolas Jackson that it looked as though it had started to dawn on Chelsea.
Ryan Gravenberch had departed early during that period of the game too, and although Liverpool were full of the spirit and endeavour that we usually associate with them, this had begun to look like Chelsea's game to lose simply because of the options they had available.
A perfect chance for some of the Blues' uncut gems to come to the fore was unfolding in front of their eyes, and the stage was set for players with huge reputations to make a tangible first step in what this whole Todd Boehly project is supposed to be.
But they never had the heart possessed by Liverpool in Sunday's Carabao Cup final, a fact so clearly apparent through the displays of several of the Reds' youngsters, but summed up in the superb performances of their two oldest players.
Make no mistake, this will be Virgil van Dijk's final. The defender's first trophy won as Liverpool captain was delivered via his head at the most dramatic moment, but so much is going to be said about Van Dijk elsewhere and we're here to talk about Wataru Endo.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
Endo was terrific for the Reds against Chelsea (Getty Images)The Japanese was the player Liverpool turned to after the high-profile pursuits of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia - one of whom was in the Chelsea midfield here, and the other is on their books - failed, just as last January's interest in the now Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez came to nought too.
Such names, such price tags. How can a £16m midfielder from Stuttgart, now 31 years old, hope to compete with them? Well it turns out he doesn't just hope, he whirls into action in such a manner that hope doesn't come into it. While Fernandez and Caicedo are busy trying to work out the game, Endo nips in and makes the game happen elsewhere.
Endo delivered a superb performance at Wembley (Paul Dennis/TGS Photo/REX/Shutterstock)Gary Neville's branding of Chelsea as 'blue billion pound bottlejobs' might well be the headline act of a final Liverpool willed to become theirs, but the overall lesson might well be Todd Boehly learning that you can't buy what Endo has. A streetwise, unassuming nature that puts out fires before they start and keeps a side missing so many key components on the front foot.
It hasn't always been plain sailing for Endo at Liverpool, and he took a little time to get used to Jurgen Klopp's style of play just as many more celebrated players did before him, but he is absolutely vital to what they go on to achieve now, something which makes the sight of him leaving Wembley in a protective boot all the more concerning.
Buying him in the first place was a departure from what we expect from Liverpool in the transfer market, but maybe the experienced Endo was the one selfish gift Klopp allowed himself last summer, knowing that he wouldn't be around to work with him for much longer.
He's been a superb signing, and a player who epitomised this victory for Liverpool's unlikely lads. Chelsea's much more heralded players couldn't deal with him.
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