Jurgen Klopp Praises Chelsea And Delivers Good News On Virgil Van Dijk After FA Cup Final

Jurgen Klopp declared that he "could not be more proud" of his Liverpool team after they edged another long battle with Chelsea to win the 2022 FA Cup.

The Premier League rivals needed a penalty shootout to separate them after Saturday's final ended 0-0 in 120 minutes - just as February's EFL Cup final had.

Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 on spot-kicks to win the FA Cup and keep their remarkable bid for an unprecedented quadruple alive.

As well as praising his own players after the match, Klopp admitted that Chelsea had been worthy opponents and that he could not have complained had the outcome of the penalty shootout been different.

Klopp told BBC Sport: "Outstanding, it was an incredible, intense game against Chelsea – they would have deserved it exactly the same way, like in the Carabao Cup – that's how small the margins are.

"I could not be more proud of my boys, the shift they put in, how hard they fought." 

Liverpool had to play three quarters of the final without their leading scorer, after Mo Salah limped off with a suspected groin problem on 33 minutes.

Virgil van Dijk was then taken off before extra time began, but Klopp sounded confident that the defender will be available for Liverpool's next game.

Klopp said: "I think Virgil is fine but his muscle was hurt."

On the game's tense conclusion, he added: "The penalty shootout, it was nerve-racking, my nails are gone but I really feel for Chelsea – for the second time, 120 minutes and you get nothing, that's too hard. But for us I'm pretty happy.

"We are mentality monsters but there were mentality monsters in blue as well – it was one penalty. Chelsea played outstanding but in the end there must be one winner and that was us today."