Who said what: Footballing world reacts to Liverpool's thrilling penalty shootout win against Chelsea in FA Cup final
Liverpool lifted the FA Cup for the eighth time in their history after beating Chelsea 6-5 in a penalty shootout following a goalless encounter at Wembley on Saturday. The Reds have now beaten Thomas Tuchel's side twice in two finals this season, previously beating them in the Carabao Cup final.
Jurgen Klopp's side seemingly had better chances of winning the game in normal time. However, their forwards were not clinical enough and could not find the net, which resulted in the final being decided in a penalty shootout. Chelsea, too, had their moments but were guilty of profligacy in front of goal as well.
Greek international Kostas Tsimikas held his nerve to score the winning penalty after Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount had had his spot-kick saved by Alisson Becker.
The footballing world, along with a few Liverpool players, took to Twitter to react to their FA Cup triumph under Jurgen Klopp. Here are a few reactions from renowned personalities from the world of football:
Liverpool still have some hope of winning the quadruple this season. The Reds are currently second in the Premier League, three points behind leaders Manchester City with two games remaining.
Jurgen Klopp's side still have yet another final to look forward to at the end of the season. Liverpool will travel to Paris to take on Real Madrid in the Champions League final on 28 May.
Speaking on his side's quadruple chances, Jurgen Klopp said the following after the game (via the club's official website):
"Look, I said before that the quadruple thing, it's absolutely outstanding that we can talk about it. Crazy. But we sit here now, it's already 20 past nine and we play on Tuesday night against Southampton. I have no clue β really no clue in this moment β who I can line up on Tuesday."
He added:
"I think we will have to make a few changes. And then we will go there, probably the last home game of the season for them. They don't want to lose their last home game and that will be incredibly tough. So the quadruple is 'on' if you want, but off as well because of the situation we are in, that's how it is. But that's not important in the moment, to be honest."
Thomas Tuchel reacts to Chelsea's FA Cup final defeat at the hands of Liverpool
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was magnanimous in defeat despite twice losing to Liverpool in a domestic cup final this season. The German tactician was proud of his team's achievements and stated that both teams equally deserved to win the final.
Speaking after the FA Cup final, Thomas Tuchel was quoted as saying the following (via Chelsea's official website):
"Like in the last final in the Carabao Cup, again we have no regrets. I told the team that Iβm proud. I was happy to arrive with this group and we were sure we would be competitive and make life very difficult for Liverpool. We struggled in the first 15 minutes and then we were excellent through the whole match, 240 minutes of final time and played 0-0 against maybe the most dangerous attacking team in the world."
He added:
"We created a lot of chances and we deserved it, as they deserved it as well, and again we lost on penalties so weβre disappointed and sad of course but at the same time proud because we left everything that you need."
It is worth mentioning that Thomas Tuchel has already guided Chelsea to two trophies this season. The Blues have won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup this season, adding to their Champions League win last season.