“It’s an absolute disgrace” - Ben Foster slams decision to name Van Dijk as man of the match at Wembley final ahead of Liverpool teammate
Former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster believes Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher should've been named the Player of the Match for the Reds' 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final.
Speaking on his podcast Fozcast, Foster claimed that the Irishman played a key role throughout the entire 120 minutes in the Reds' narrow win. The award was eventually handed to defender Virgil van Dijk, who scored the winning goal late in the game.
Foster said (via Rousing the Kop):
“Bit of goalie love if we can lads. His calmness as well, he’s not the first choice goalie but whenever I watch him play I think you are made for this mate. He didn’t get Man of the Match did he? It’s a disgrace, it’s an absolute disgrace!”
In the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Kelleher put in a strong performance for Liverpool, keeping out waves of Chelsea attacks. He made nine saves overall in the game as the Blues failed to find the back of the net.
The 25-year-old has done well as backup to the Brazilian this season. While he has just three clean sheets in 16 appearances, he has a 68% save percentage (72nd percentile in the Premier League) and has largely been mistake-free.
Jurgen Klopp issues update as Liverpool injury list grows
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claimed that the side are 'praying for miracles' after further additions to their injury list. Speaking ahead of his side's FA Cup clash against Southampton, the German tactician stated that he was hoping to receive news regarding star players before kick-off.
Klopp said (via Liverpool Echo):
"We need miracles with a few players, that's why I don't want to rule out for too long but it's touch-and-go for the boys who were not available for the final. Darwin, Mo, Dom, we have to see what they can do today," said Klopp in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah suffered muscle injuries in the side's win over Brentford that ruled them out for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea. Dominik Szoboszlai also did not feature, with a recurring hamstring issue keeping him out of action for the past five games.
Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo have also suffered knocks. The Dutchman was at the receiving end of a harsh challenge from Moises Caicedo in the final that saw him taken off in the first half. Endo, meanwhile, played the full 120 minutes but was spotted leaving the stadium with his leg in a protective boot.