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Despite a raft of stars absent with injury, Liverpool triumphed after extra time at Wembley courtesy of a towering header from the Dutchman

Virgil van Dijk's extra time header secured Liverpool their first trophy of the season in their bid to win the quadruple as they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup final.

In a game where Van Dijk and Raheem Sterling had goals ruled out for offside in either half, the Dutch defender would not be denied a second time as he guided a header into the corner just before the game went to penalties.

After beating the Blues on spot-kicks in 2022 at this same stage, Jurgen Klopp's youthful side heaped more misery on Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea on Sunday.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Wembley…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Caoimhin Kelleher (8/10):

  Superbly denied Cole Palmer from point-blank range, was so quick to smother Conor Gallagher's late effort, and put in an impressive all-round display between the sticks.

  Conor Bradley (7/10):

  Looked lively from the get-go in attack and outshone opposite number Ben Chilwell. Even when he was booked in the first half, the Liverpool fans sung his name in appreciation of his performance.

  Ibrahima Konate (8/10):

  Had a couple of good tussles with Raheem Sterling but seemed to more often than not win that battle. Showed great pace to hold up Nicolas Jackson when through on goal and pulled off some great last-ditch challenges.

  Virgil van Dijk (9/10):

  Looked imperious in Liverpool's backline at times and the totemic figure thought he had scored a superb header only for it to be ruled out for offside in the build-up. The Dutch rock would not be denied, however, and scored the winner at the death to cap off an imperious performance.

  Andrew Robertson (7/10):

  Swung in some dangerous crosses in the first half, the best of which found the head of Cody Gakpo, whose header hit the post, and then for Van Dijk's disallowed goal. Had some trouble with Palmer at times, though.

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  Midfield

  Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):

  Marshalled the midfield well, showed plenty of energy, got stuck in, and wasn't afraid to try his luck at goal from range. Tired a bit towards the end of his outing.

  Wataru Endo (7/10):

  Was like a pitbull terrier in the early exchanges and pressed Chelsea's players into mistakes. Was, perhaps, unfortunate to be offside moments before Van Dijk looked to have given Liverpool the lead.

  Ryan Gravenberch (4/10):

  Looked a little off the pace in the game's opening stages but before he could make an impact he went off injured following a late challenge by Moises Caicedo.

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  Attack

  Luis Diaz (7/10):

  Seemed to be the biggest threat in Liverpool's more makeshift front three as his pace and trickery caused Chelsea's defence a few issues.

  Cody Gakpo (6/10):

  Went oh so close to breaking the deadlock but his header cannoned off the post. Was a bit rash with some of his finishing and needed to lead from the front more as one of the more senior players.

  Harvey Elliott (6/10):

  Showed some neat touches and interplay and while he perhaps didn't provide enough substance in attack in normal time, grew as extra-time wore on.

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  Subs & Manager

  Joe Gomez (6/10):

  Was caught out a couple of times in defence when he replaced the injured Gravenberch.

  Bobby Clark (7/10):

  Came on for the marauding Bradley in the second half and looked bright when given a chance to shine.

  Konstantinos Tsimikas (7/10):

  Slotted in nicely for Robertson when called upon and also produced some teasing deliveries into the box. Got the assist for the winner at the death.

  Jayden Danns (8/10):

  The youngster looked to run at Chelsea's defence from the moment he came on and directed a well-placed header at goal, that was well saved by keeper Djordje Petrovic. Nearly won it in extra-time, too.

  James McConnell (7/10):

  Settled into the game nicely when he was introduced.

  Jurgen Klopp (9/10):

  Was hamstrung by a raft of injuries and a youthful, inexperienced bench but was brave to trust his young charges in such a big game. He was more proactive than his managerial counterpart Pochettino. In his last season as manager, the German will now try and win the Premier League, Europa League, and FA Cup, too.

USMNT Olympics hopeful Taylor Booth suffered an injury setback last week, and he's now revealed his timeline to return to the pitch.

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• Booth sidelined with injury for Utrecht
• Had five goals in February prior to setback
• Midfielder reveals timeline for return

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In a 1-0 victory over FC Twente on Sunday, the USMNT midfielder exited the pitch just 22 minutes into the contest, hobbling off with the support of medical staff. However, it appears that he has avoided a serious long-term injury with his latest social media update.

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• WHAT BOOTH SAID

  The 22-year-old midfielder informed his followers that he will 'hopefully' return to the pitch in a 'few weeks', which will be a relief to his club and country.

  Instagram/tb.23

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The U-23 USMNT have a big test in March against Thierry Henry's U-23 France side, who are set to field some of the hottest up-and-coming prospects in Europe – like Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola. However, the young USMNT group have a few impressive prospects of their own, with rumors circling that PSV's Ricardo Pepi could be sent to the U-23s given the form of Josh Sargent and current starter Folarin Balogun.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BOOTH AND THE U-23 USMNT?

  The Utrecht midfielder will be sidelined for the next few weeks as a result of the injury, and is likely to miss the next U-23 camp. Boss Marko Mitrovic will be bringing in his crew mid-March, which could be a stretch for Booth, who will be aiming to be fit for the camp regardless.

The decision not to hire Chris Wilder was a strange one, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast.

Wilder looked close to being named Sam Allardyce’s successor, with the Mirror reporting at the end of May that the 53-year-old was the Baggies’ No.1 choice.

However, that fell through and West Brom have since turned to Valerien Ismael after an impressive season with Barnsley.

In that time, Luke Dowling, who The Athletic claim was strongly in favour of bringing Wilder to the club, has left his position as sporting director.

On West Brom’s decision not to appoint Wilder in the end, Palmer said:

“It’s really strange that one. I can’t for the life of me believe they wouldn’t take Chris. I’d love to know the owner’s explanation as to why he’s not taken him. 

“But I’m assuming that Chris would have said he wanted to be in complete control of all footballing matters. So maybe Luke was ok with that, working with him on that basis, and the chairman [or owner] wasn’t happy with that.”

Given what he was recently able to achieve with Sheffield United, winning Premier League promotion back in 2019, Wilder would have been a great appointment.

Ismael, though, who had Barnsley in promotion contention last season, taking them to the play-offs, does not look like a bad alternative.

QPR winger Ilias Chair has been sentenced to two years in prison in Belgium for breaking a man's skull with a rock during a kayaking trip in 2020.

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• Chair sentenced to prison in Belgium
• Charge relates to 2020 incident
• QPR in touch with player's legal team

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  As reported by , Chair was sentenced to two years in prison in Belgium by an Antwerp court, with one year suspended, and fined a sum of €15,000 (£12,800/$16,250) to be paid as compensation to the victim. The Morocco international, who was born in Belgium, has the right to appeal and is not currently being detained.

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  WHAT QPR SAID

  In a club statement, QPR said: "The club are, and have been, in regular contact with Ilias Chair’s legal team regarding a charge of assault which has been made against him. The legal proceeding is yet to reach its conclusion. As such, the club will be making no further comment at this stage."

• WHAT PROSECUTORS SAID

  reports that a lorry driver was left with a fractured skull after an altercation with Chair during the QPR player's kayaking trip across Belgium and France in 2020. According to the Belgian newspaper, the prosecutor said: "While queuing to board the bus, the victims were suddenly passed by a lady in a green bikini and her family. They passed the group and, as it were, demanded to be the first to get on the bus because they had just missed another bus. This led to a discussion with other people who were waiting, including the later victims: Niels T., his sister Eline T. and Dries D.

  "The woman in the green bikini behaved very aggressively and things quickly escalated. The woman lashed out at the victims and their children. There was hitting, scratching and biting. According to several people involved, Ilias Chair lashed out with the stone at Niels T., who immediately lost consciousness. The consequences for Niels T. were dramatic. He suffered a serious skull fracture of two centimetres. He was admitted to Reims hospital in critical condition. He would then have to recover in a Belgian hospital for a long time. He was unable to work as a truck driver for a long time and to this day he still experiences the consequences of that blow, which almost killed him."

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  also notes that Chair denies being the person who threw the stone and requested an acquittal. The newspaper adds that a request to reopen the hearing was rejected when the Morocco player attended court with his lawyer on Friday.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou revealed how he would have dealt with Richarlison's 'keepy-up' incident against Nottingham Forest last season.

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• Richarlison showboated against Forest last season
• Was brought down by Johnson with a rough tackle
• Postecoglou gave his verdict on the incident

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Richarlison drew ire from the Forest faithful for attempted showboating with keepie-uppies at the City Ground during Tottenham's fourth Premier League game of the previous season. Brennan Johnson, who was then a Forest player before the Lilly-whites signed him on deadline day in the summer in a £47.5million deal, was furious with the Brazilian and went in with a rash challenge to dispossess the forward.

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• WHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

  Addressing the incident, Postecoglou backed Johnson for his robust response, suggesting that Richarlison had crossed the line with his showboating. Speaking to reporters, he said: "I reckon even if you did what Richy did as a kid, someone would give you a whack! That’s just part of football. Everyone knows there’s a line.

  “It’s all good. We don’t want to take all the fun out of the game. Every player knows there’s a line and if you cross that line, somebody will bring you back into line pretty quickly. Brennan did that with Richy.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Richarlison is one of the aces for Postecoglou who fired on all cylinders, scoring a brace against Newcastle United, in the previous matchday. The manager would urge him to keep producing the goods as Spurs are desperate to bring back their title ambitions on track after a wasteful November.

  "I hope there’s a lot more to come, hopefully that’s the platform we’ve given him," he said.

  "Look, it’s always the challenges for footballers. He came here, he’d had a fantastic impact in the Premier League with Everton, he came here and whenever significant money is invested, the expectations rise, you are going to a club where you are competing for honours and all those sort of things are the challenges you have to overcome when you come to a big club.

  "That coupled with the physical setbacks he’d had, with a striker there’s usually just one thing people measure you by which is goals and all those kind of factors, but that’s up to him now. Like I said, we're trying to give him that platform now and he showed last week that he can be a real threat at this level both with and without the ball. He won’t be starved of opportunities here and it’s up to him to take those and take his football to the kind of level that we believe he can."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  As Tottenham face Forest again, the reception for Richarlison and Johnson from the home fans will be interesting to watch. More so, if both the players get on the scoresheet on a winning cause for the London side.

Birmingham have been told it would take an “unrefusable offer” in order for Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to sell Elliot Lee.

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• Midfielder starring for the Red Dragons
• Into double figures for goals this season
• Linked with move to the Championship

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The all-action Red Dragons midfielder, who has hit 10 goals through 21 appearances this season, continues to see his stock soar after helping his current employers to secure a record-breaking promotion back into the Football League during the 2022-23 campaign.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  There have been suggestions that Lee is registering on Birmingham's transfer radar, with new Blues boss Wayne Rooney in need of inspiration from somewhere after enduring a tough start to his reign at St. Andrew’s. The expectation is that Tom Brady and the Birmingham board will be asked to make funds available for transfers in January.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  A move for Lee could be made at that stage, but ex-England international Carlton Palmer has told of what it would take to get a deal done: “In my opinion, Lee is a Championship level player playing in a lower division, so it's no surprise to me that he's attracting the attention of Championship clubs. However, Championship clubs would have to make an unrefusable offer as Wrexham are ambitious, financially backed and under no pressure to sell. I'd be surprised if Lee wanted to leave Wrexham at this point, as they are on a mission and are looking to complete back-to-back promotions. I think Birmingham will have to look elsewhere.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Lee, who is a product of West Ham’s academy system, joined Wrexham in the summer of 2022 and is tied to a contract that still has a little over 18 months left to run.

Leeds United have again been linked with a move for Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez, with Marcelo Bielsa reportedly happy to pay his release clause.

The Lowdown: Leeds move mooted

The Whites secured a highly impressive ninth-place finish in the Premier League last season, with the aim now to replicate that in 2021/22, at worst.

For Leeds to go up another gear, top-class new signings may be needed and Nandez is a player who has been linked with a move to Elland Road in the past.

The Uruguayan started 31 of Cagliari’s 38 Serie A matches last season, registering two goals and assists apiece, and has won 36 caps for his country.

The Latest: Fresh update arrives

According to La Nuova Sardegna [via Sport Witness], Leeds ‘insist’ on signing Nandez, with Bielsa prepared for ‘economic madness’.

The Whites manager is willing to pay the €36million (£30.9m) to prise the 25-year-old away from Cagliari, although it is stated that they may try and buy him for less than that.

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The Verdict: Stellar midfield addition

There are arguably times when Leeds have been too reliant on the performances of Kalvin Phillips, so a top-quality midfield addition makes perfect sense.

At 25, Nandez still has years ahead of him in the game, but is also an experienced figures, as highlighted by his international exploits.

He averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.5 clearances per game in the league last season, showing his tenacious side, but also played an average of one key pass per match, displaying a well rounded skill-set on both sides of the ball.

The midfielder has been talked up as a ‘great player’ by his agent, Pablo Bentancur, and like Phillips, he looks to be adept both in and out of possession, which is exactly what Bielsa wants in his players.

In other news, a pundit has given some key insight regarding one Leeds United player. Find out who it is here. 

Roma are considering a January bid to sign Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea, according to a report.

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• Roma looking at new defenders
• Chalobah on Italian team's radar
• Chelsea ready to sell centre-back

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Serie A side are in need of reinforcements at centre-back with Chris Smalling, Diego Llorente and Marash Kumbulla all out through injury.

  According to , Roma are considering bringing in a new defender in the January transfer window and Chelsea's Chalobah has emerged as an option.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chelsea are ready to sell Chalobah in the winter market because he does not have a place in Mauricio Pochettino's plans. The Chelsea youth academy graduate is eager to make a move, too, and came close to joining Bayern Munich in the summer, but the deal fell through.

• AND WHAT'S MORE

  Chalobah is not the only defender Roma have their eye on, according to the report. The Serie A club could opt to reunite Jose Mourinho with Tottenham's Eric Dier, who has not made a single appearance for Ange Postecoglou's team this season. Red Bull Salzburg's Oumar Solet is also on the Giallorossi's radar, while veteran centre-back Jerome Boateng is also seen as an option after Bayern backed out of a deal to sign him.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Roma will likely field the emergency pairing of defensive midfielders Bryan Cristante and Leandro Paredes at centre-back for their weekend clash against Monza.

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma as the summer transfer window approaches.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Mail, Brendan Rodgers’ charges are interested in acquiring the 24-year-old’s signature this summer after an impressive 2020/21 campaign.

The report claims that the Cherries may have to sell one of their star players after missing out on an instant return to the Premier League, and Danjuma is attracting interest from across Europe.

Imagine him and Vardy

Leicester have been linked with several intriguing prospects in recent weeks as Rodgers attempts to strengthen his squad, but the Dutch international may just be the most exciting of them all.

Danjuma bagged 17 goals and provided eight assists in just 37 appearances for the south coast club last season, making him one of the Championship’s standout performers.

Although the skillful forward was ultimately unable to fire Bournemouth back to the top flight, his incredible displays clearly impressed interim manager Jonathan Woodgate, who said: “I know last season that he didn’t really get a run in the Premier League and he maybe found it a bit difficult to get game time, but this season he’s been outstanding.

“I can only talk of what he’s done under my reign, but at the minute, he’s playing some exceptional football, and what else he is doing is working for the team.”

The exceptional pace, trickery and finishing ability of Danjuma, combined with his improved work rate, would make him an ideal signing for Rodgers, and he should be able to adjust to the Northern Irishman’s system with ease.

Seeing him combine with the likes of Jamie Vardy on a regular basis at the King Power Stadium would be a daunting prospect for any opposition side. The deadly duo would provide the perfect blend of problems for opponents and could potentially fire the Foxes into the Champions League next season.

While the likes of Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho came close to providing the firepower needed for a top-four finish, adding Danjuma into the mix may just provide the final piece of the jigsaw needed to finally achieve that goal. Director of football John Rudkin must do whatever he can towards making this move happen.

In other news… Imagine him and Maddison: Rudkin must sanction Leicester swoop for £34m magician 

Marcus Bent believes that Eddie Howe would be a breath of fresh air should he become the new Everton manager.

It’s been almost a year since the 43-year-old left his position at Bournemouth by mutual consent, with his final game in charge coming against Everton at Goodison Park.

Howe has been strongly linked with several jobs in recent months and was expected to take over at Celtic before a deal to see him move to Parkhead recently collapsed.

Meanwhile, the former Cherries boss has been touted as a possible replacement for Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace, with that position still available following Nuno Espirito Santo’s recent failed move to Selhurst Park.

Everton themselves are still searching for a Carlo Ancelotti replacement after the Italian suddenly left to re-join Real Madrid at the beginning of this month.

Former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson is currently in the running, whilst ex-Wolves man Santo has also held talks, but Bent would be on board with the appointment of Howe.

He told Football FanCast:

“He did a great job at Bournemouth, he’s a young manager and has a lot of experience, he’s new school and he’d be a breath of fresh air for Everton.“

Whilst Howe is certainly no Ancelotti, having worked wonders during his time with Bournemouth, Everton could do a lot worse than appointing him.