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It was Manchester City with the silver lining and champagne-soaked scenes after the shoot-out. The defeat will long sting for Liverpool, who were desperate to signal a new era under Klopp by earning honours early into his reign.
The manager himself will know that there is no solace in finishing second best, but the Merseysiders can take comfort in the fact they fought to take the match to penalties when City were in the ascendancy.
Before Philippe Coutinho’s 83rd-minute strike and after Fernandinho’s 49th-minute opener, Pellegrini’s men looked certainties to secure victory in normal time. But Liverpool did not roll over and it took stellar goalkeeping from unlikely hero Willy Caballero in the shoot-out to ensure City’s evening was golden.
In the aftermath of the loss, Klopp admitted he did not want to focus on positives as it’s important to “feel the defeat.” He was, as usual, honest in saying it was “sh*t” and “rubbish” that Liverpool weren’t the winners.
His players will be similarly downbeat. Mamadou Sakho had to cover his face to hide his emotion after being forced off the field following a clash of heads. Daniel Sturridge held back tears after his legs, stifled by cramp, took him up Wembley’s step as a runner-up. Coutinho, who had his shirt off in celebration after his crucial goal, dropped to his knees in agony following his unsuccessful stuttered penalty.
Every Liverpool player will feel every bit the loser on Sunday, but they showed evidence of why their rebuild under Klopp will have much happier times.
The German has demanded ‘fighting football’ from day one and while it won’t immediately seem like it, his side had their gloves on at Wembley. Rewind to Liverpool’s previous appearance at the national stadium, which was against Aston Villa last season, and the difference is stark.
They were meek in that semi-final defeat, but got stuck in against City. Adam Lallana was picking fights with Yaya Toure, Simon Mignolet didn’t hide after criminally allowing Fernandinho’s opener to creep under him, Lucas was immense in the still unfamiliar centre-back role, and Kolo Toure came on for Sakho and battled hard.
Klopp showed that he could be unflinching too: the defensive change was unpopular but necessary given Sakho's head collision, he hooked Alberto Moreno who was rash and caught out of position too often, and he again kept £32.5 million Christian Benteke on the bench.
Ahead of the encounter, Klopp was adamant that success in the final would not be a cure-all for the Reds and that defeat shouldn’t detract from the work they have done and will continue to do.
After the encounter, he insisted: “You always have to strike back. We can say all of these things, but you know you can fall down and then you have to stand up.
"That’s the truth, but it’s completely normal – only silly idiots stay on the floor and wait for the next defeat.”
Liverpool must respond. How apt that the first chance they get to do so will be against City.
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