Mauricio Pochettino got exactly what he wanted in the Carabao Cup final. And even then, his Chelsea side couldn’t get past Liverpool.
In the build-up to the clash at Wembley, the former Tottenham boss had bemoaned the treatment his side had received from referee Paul Tierney at Anfield just a few weeks ago. He even went as far as to suggest that Jürgen Klopp’s announcement that he would be leaving at the end of the season resulted in preferential treatment for the Reds.
“It is not pressure for him,” Pochettino said (as per Football.London). “For the players? No. Maybe it is for the people who want to celebrate with Liverpool. I think we need to be sure we are going to compete and be fair in every single decision.
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“I think when we played against Liverpool at Anfield I think too many decisions… not one key decision was for us. Two penalties were not given. Duels, 50-50s, always for another color — always red. I want to be treated in a fair way.
“Of course we are going to celebrate. I am the first who is going to say that Liverpool is amazing and Klopp is one of the best coaches in the world. But I think after my last experience playing there, what I want in Wembley is to go there and not feel the pressure. It is to play the game in the same level and the best team will win. But not to feel the pressure of people around.”
At this point, it’s worth pointing out that Pochettino’s claim is absolutely ludicrous. He might have had a point about an early penalty shout, but beyond that, his side was thoroughly outplayed. The blame for Chelsea’s 4-1 defeat — which actually should have been a lot heavier — could not have been laid at the door of Tierney.
The problem is, the Chelsea boss’ rant seemed to work. Chris Kavanagh was instead in charge at Wembley, and took an approach to the Blues that was far too lenient at times.
How Moisés Caicedo came away from that game without a booking to his name will go on to be one of football’s great mysteries. Even if you took his poor challenge on Ryan Gravenberch, which left Klopp fuming on the touchline, out of the equation, the game was littered with fouls from the former Brighton man which should have resulted in a yellow card being brandished.
VAR also came to Chelsea’s rescue when it instructed Kavanagh to review, and ultimately rule out, Virgil van Dijk’s second-half header. The reason? An offside Wataru Endō interfering in a manner that 99 times out of 100 would never get picked up in the Premier League.
Were the officials swayed by Pochettino’s comments? You’d hope not, but there can be no doubt that the Chelsea boss got exactly what he wanted. And that might be the most damning indictment of his side.
Even with decisions going heavily in their favor, his team couldn’t see off a Liverpool side decimated by injuries and having to field teenagers with just a handful of appearances between them. Rather than prove Pochettino right, the officials simply reinforced just how big a gulf there is between the two clubs, which funnily enough was demonstrated perfectly a few weeks ago at Anfield.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
