Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool added yet another piece of silverware to their bulging trophy cabinet with victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final. The Reds overcame the Blues thanks to a late Virgil van Dijk header in extra time, sending the supporters at Wembley into raptures as dreams of a farewell quadruple for their departing manager were kept alive.
Klopp has announced that he's leaving Anfield at the end of the season, bringing to an end a storied tenure that has seen him win the Premier League, Champions League, both domestic cups, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Here, we run through how the German has fared in finals during his managerial career, with his track record decidedly mixed.
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ByTom CunninghamFeb 7, 2024 May 2012 – Borussia Dortmund 5-2 Bayern Munich DFB Pokal
Borussia Dortmund had won the Bundesliga for the second season in a row, sealing top spot ahead of Bayern Munich with two games still to go, but Bayern had a chance to secure revenge in the German Cup final.
After Arjen Robben had cancelled out an early goal from Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund seized control of the game with a quickfire double before the break through Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski made it 4-1 just before the hour, and while Franck Ribery gave Bayern some hope with 15 minutes to go, Lukasz Piszczek put the result beyond any doubt late on, securing a first-ever double for Dortmund.
May 2013 – Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Bayern Munich Champions League
Just a week after their DFB-Pokal defeat to Dortmund in 2012, Bayern had lost the Champions League final to Chelsea in their own stadium, but they had the opportunity to make amends 12 months on at Wembley.
Once again, it was Klopp's side standing in their way, though this time it was Jupp Heynckes' men who had a psychological edge after dethroning Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Mario Mandzukic put Bayern in front on the hour mark before Ilkay Gundogan equalised from the penalty spot. Arjen Robben scored a late winner for the Bavarians, who went on to beat Stuttgart in the cup final to seal a treble.
May 2014 – Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Bayern Munich (aet) DFB Pokal
2014 marked the first (and thus far only) cup final meeting between Klopp and Pep Guardiola, who had won the Bundesliga in his first season in charge at Bayern. There was nothing to separate the two sides across 90 minutes, though Dortmund justifiably felt they should have been awarded a goal in the second half when Hummels' header appeared to cross the line.
In the end, another 30 minutes were required, and Robben finally broke the deadlock two minutes into the second half of extra-time before Thomas Muller clinched victory for Bayern in stoppage time as Dortmund pushed desperately for an equaliser.
May 2015 – Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Wolfsburg DFB Pokal
Klopp's final game as the Dortmund manager saw him take on Wolfsburg in yet another cup final, but this was a far weaker side that had scraped a seventh-place finish, and those vulnerabilities showed in Berlin. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put them ahead, but Luis Gustavo, Kevin De Bruyne (who would prove to be a long-term competitor for Klopp) and Bas Dost hit the target for Bundesliga runners-up Wolfsburg as they turned the game around.
Klopp's subsequent break from management would ultimately last less than five months as he took over at Liverpool in October following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers.
February 2016 – Liverpool 1-1 Man City (1-3 on pens) EFL Cup
In the first of two finals in Klopp's maiden campaign at Anfield, Liverpool travelled to Wembley – the site of the German's Champions League heartbreak three years prior – to face Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City. Simon Mignolet's error allowed Fernandinho to put City ahead, but Philippe Coutinho scored late on to force extra-time.
Penalties were ultimately required, but Coutinho, Lucas Leiva and Adam Lallana were all denied by Willy Caballero and City prevailed 3-1, with Yaya Toure scoring the winning spot-kick. This would be Pellegrini's final silverware with City before Guardiola took charge in the summer, sparking one of the great rivalries in English football history.
May 2016 – Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla Europa League
Klopp's second final in 2016 took him to Basel, where Sevilla stood between the Reds and Europa League glory. Liverpool had beaten Borussia Dortmund, fierce rivals Manchester United and Villarreal on their memorable run to the showpiece, and they looked destined for glory when Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring after 35 minutes.
However, Sevilla, who had won the competition in the previous two seasons, launched a stunning second-half turnaround with a goal from Kevin Gameiro and a quickfire double from Coke. Rather than qualifying for the Champions League – the prize for the victor in this competition – Liverpool missed out on Europe altogether after finishing eighth in the Premier League.
Finals
14
Won
7
Lost
7
Goals scored
16
Goals against
18
Penalty shootouts
4
Shootouts won
3
Shootouts lost
1
May 2018 – Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool Champions League
In Klopp's first year of Champions League football at Anfield, Liverpool went all the way to the final by knocking out Porto, eventual English champions Manchester City and Roma, but they then faced perhaps the most daunting test of all in the form of Real Madrid.
Los Blancos had won the competition 12 times, at least five more than any other side, and were pursuing a third European triumph in a row. On a bitterly disappointing evening in Kyiv that saw top scorer Mohamed Salah forced off injured and goalkeeper Loris Karius make two mistakes, Real won 3-1, with Gareth Bale scoring one of the all-time great Champions League goals.
June 2019 – Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League
After the woes of Kyiv, Liverpool's 2018/19 Champions League campaign was styled as a shot at redemption. They had amassed more points than any runner-up in Premier League history (97), but while they hadn't done enough to overcome City in a breathless title race, they refused to let Tottenham stand in their way of a long-awaited first major honour under Klopp.
Salah scored a penalty within two minutes of kick-off after a handball by Moussa Sissoko, and Divock Origi secured the trophy in the closing stages, ensuring Klopp finally became a European champion at the third time of asking.
World's Best Club Coach
18/19, 19/20
Champions League
18/19
FIFA Club World Cup
19/20
Bundesliga
10/11, 11/12
Premier League
19/20
UEFA Super Cup
19/20
DFB-Pokal
11/12
FA Cup
21/22
German Super Cup
13/14, 14/15
Carabao Cup
21/22, 23/24
Community Shield
22/23
August 2019 – Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea (5-4 on pens) UEFA Super Cup
Liverpool's success against Spurs in Madrid earned them a place in the UEFA Super Cup final against another English side in Chelsea, who had beaten Arsenal to win the Europa League.
It was the Blues who took a shock lead through Olivier Giroud, but Sadio Mane brought the Reds back level early in the second half. Neither side found a winner in regulation time, and a would-be match-winner from Mane in extra-time was swiftly cancelled out by Jorginho's penalty.
With Alisson out injured, Liverpool had to rely on backup goalkeeper Adrian in the shootout, and he stepped up to the task with a decisive save from Tammy Abraham.
December 2019 – Liverpool 1-0 Flamengo (aet) Club World Cup
As champions of their continent, Liverpool also featured at the Club World Cup in Qatar at the end of that year, and after beating Mexican side Monterrey 2-1 in the semis, they set up a showdown with Brazilian outfit Flamengo in the final.
Once again, the 90 minutes finished level, but Roberto Firmino, who had scored a stoppage-time winner in the last four, scored in the first half of extra time, and unlike in the Super Cup, Liverpool were able to hold on. Having failed to win any major silverware in the first three seasons of Klopp's tenure, the Reds had won now three trophies in the space of six months.