Jordan Henderson has urged his Liverpool team-mates to 'recover quickly' from their dramatic FA Cup success and focus on their final 'three big games' after beating Chelsea at Wembley.
Jurgen Klopp's side lifted their second trophy of the season and still have a chance of achieving an unprecedented quadruple with their 6-5 penalty shootout win over the Blues. The Reds remain three points adrift of Manchester City in the Premier League title race, with a trip to Southampton on Tuesday and a final-day encounter with Wolves still to come.
Following the conclusion of the domestic calendar, Klopp's side must then prepare for their third Champions League final in five years with another clash against Real Madrid pencilled in for May 28 in Paris. The demands of the final weeks of the season means Liverpool have little time to celebrate their latest Wembley success.
Speaking after the latest triumph, Henderson admitted it felt "pretty special" to lift Liverpool's first FA Cup in 16 years. But the 31-year-old also demanded that his team-mates refocus quickly with further challenges ahead. He told BBC Sport: "Trophies is what we are here to do. To come here, work so hard to get over the line – it’s a big moment. The fans deserve it. It is pretty special.
"We’ve had so many games in such a short space of time, but that is what it’s all about. Digging in. To win it on penalties again – a lot of credit has to go to the boys. We have to give everything. Some of the talent we’ve got in the dressing room is incredible. We need to just keep going.
"We’ve got to recover quickly – we have to be ready for that. The Wolves – then Madrid. Three big games left and hopefully we can win all three."
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Kostas Tsimikas netted the winning spot-kick to seal a 6-5 shootout win after an entertaining goalless draw, with Alisson Becker denying Mason Mount's sudden-death effort. It proved to be a repeat of the Carabao Cup final earlier this season, with Chelsea on the wrong side of two successive shootout defeats and losing all of the last three FA Cup finals. However, for Liverpool it was the latest success in what could prove to be a historic campaign.
Much like the Carabao Cup final earlier this season, Chelsea could consider themselves unfortunate to have lost out once again. Edouard Mendy denied Senegal team-mate Sadio Mane from sealing the win with the fifth spot-kick, only for his opposite number to produce a sudden-death save.
Henderson praised Liverpool's determination to break the deadlock, but admits the Reds got the 'rub of the green' in the lottery of a shootout once again. He told ITV Sport: Good two teams going at it. Chances, unfortunately we couldn’t put one away. But we kept going. In ET, both times tired a little bit, but we gave it everything. It went to penalties and thankfully we got the rub of the green again."
