When Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harvey Elliott converted their penalties in Liverpool’s flawless shootout they turned and pointed at a 23-year-old goalkeeper making the 17th start of his senior club career, and who just happened to be the calmest person inside Wembley. They shared the intuition that Jürgen Klopp had when deciding it would be Caoimhín Kelleher, not Alisson, standing in Liverpool’s goal for the Carabao Cup final.
“If it works out, then it’s all about Caoimhín. If it doesn’t work out, then it’s all about me.” The Liverpool manager was correct, although he could never have predicted it would work out with Kelleher scoring the 11th and final penalty before the supposed spot-kick expert Kepa Arrizabalaga blazed Chelsea’s 11th attempt high into the Wembley sky. Kelleher was a prolific goalscorer for Ringmahon Rangers in Cork before trying his hands at goalkeeper aged 13. He has evidently not forgotten the goalscoring art.
