“It wasn’t incredible movement from Virgil” - Ex-Liverpool star blames Chelsea man for Van Dijk winner at Wembley

Jamie Redknapp laid a part of the blame on defender Axel Disasi following Liverpool's Carabao Cup final triumph over Chelsea on February 25.

The two sides faced off in the summit clash of the Carabao Cup at Wembley on Sunday. Both sides created numerous chances to score but failed to capitalise on them. Liverpool thought they had broken the deadlock in the 60th minute when Virgil van Dijk scored via a corner. However, it was disallowed by VAR for offside.

The game went into extra time after finishing goalless after 90 minutes. It looked to be heading towards a third consecutive penalty shootout between the two sides in cup competitions. However, Van Dijk rose highest again in the 118th minute to head home from Kostas Tsimikas' corner.

After the game, former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp said that defender Axel Disasi could've done better to stop Van Dijk from scoring. He said on Sky Sports:

"Disasi is a big man and he just didn’t deal with him well enough. It wasn’t incredible movement from Virgil but he just wanted it more. It was a good flat delivery from Tsimikas and he (Van Dijk) just wanted it.

“That’s sometimes what can happen at set-pieces. With Chelsea, you can see that little bit of fear perhaps because they’ve won so many and then you just start to panic a little bit and they couldn't get close enough to Virgil. He just flicks it in and it’s a great header.”

The Reds have now won a record 10 Carabao Cups while Chelsea suffered a record sixth consecutive defeat in the domestic cup finals.

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What's next for Chelsea and Liverpool?

The two sides came into the Carabao Cup on the back of contrasting seasons and it only continued in a similar vein in the final.

Liverpool are in the running for three more competitions this season, having won the Carabao Cup. They will face Southampton at Anfield in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday, February 28.

The Reds are also at the top of the Premier League table, a point above Manchester City and two above Arsenal. Moreover, they are set to face Slavia Praha in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16.

Chelsea, meanwhile, dropped to 11th place in the Premier League standings after the latest gameweek. They have also reached the FA Cup fifth round, where they will host Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.