Our 3️⃣ points as Liverpool beat Chelsea on to claim eighth FA Cup title | OneFootball

Konstantinos Tsimikas was the unlikely hero as his penalty helped Liverpool beat Chelsea to claim their eighth FA Cup title.

The 150th edition of the final had gone to spot kicks after a goalless 120 minutes but it was the Greek youngster who put the Reds in dreamland.

The dream lives on

Hands up who had Konstantinos Tsimikas as the hero of the day before the game?

The Greek left-back has been a perennial substitute for the Reds this entire campaign but when he was called upon the youngster more than stood up.

With Andy Robertson going down with cramp in extra time, Tsimikas was given the order to take his place in defence and proved a brilliantly capable deputy for the remainder of the game.

Then came the penalties.

With the scores at 5-5, Mason Mount had his weak penalty saved by Alisson handing potential hero status to Tsimikas.

And with a coolness that James Milner would have been proud of, he slotted a low spot kick into the bottom corner and wheeled away in ecstasy.

What a moment for the young man, and what a moment for this Liverpool side.

The quadruple dream lives on.

Bon Diaz

With Mohamed Salah off injured and Sadio Mané having an quiet day at the office, it was left to Luis Diaz to pick up the slack for Liverpool’s attack.

And boy did he.

The Colombia international was already a sensational signing for the Reds but his performance here today at Wembley showed exactly just what a superstar he’s going to be in years to come.

Running in behind Trent Alexander-Arnold, forcing a number of saves from Edouard Mendy and generally causing havoc amongst the Chelsea backline for his entire 97 minute performance.

His Man of the Match award was more than deserved.

Liverpool’s transfer record in recent years has been sensational but Diaz ranks right up there amongst the very best pieces of business anywhere.

Blue day

What now then for Chelsea?

The Blues have had to endure a pretty torrid 2021/22 after the ultimate high of last season.

From European champions to losers in two domestic finals, it’s been a pretty dramatic comedown for the west London side.

In Thomas Tuchel though, Chelsea have one of the very best coaches in the world and would do well to tie him to a long-term deal right now.

For Chelsea held their own for this entire 120 minutes here and will probably count themselves unlucky to not win this game in normal time.

Marcos Alonso had a number of chances in both halves, Christian Pulisic pulled a gilt-edged effort wide in the second period and the decision to play Ruben Loftus-Cheek looked like it might pay dividends in extra time.

Ultimately though, it was spot kicks that did for the Blues once again after EFL Cup heartbreak earlier in the year.

With Tuchel at the helm however, Chelsea will be back stronger next season.