LONDON: Liverpool won its first domestic final in a decade by beating Chelsea 11-10 on penalties to clinch the League Cup on Sunday.
All 10 penalties had been scored before it was down to the goalkeepers to take their turn and Kepa Arrizabalaga missed after Liverpool counterpart Caoimhin Kelleher had netted.
Kepa had been brought off the bench as a penalties specialist just as the clock hit 120 minutes at the end of extra time, replacing Edouard Mendy whose saves had kept the final locked at 0-0.
The move paid off for manager Thomas Tuchel in the UEFA Super Cup in August but this time there was no trophy for Chelsea to add to the Champions League and Club World Cup titles won in the last year.
Unlike Chelsea, Liverpool did allow the 23-year-old Kelleher to keep his place as goalkeeper in the cup competitions rather than inserting the first-choice Alisson Becker for the final.
“In professional football there should be space for sentiment,” Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said. “He is a young boy, we ask him to do a lot, he starts playing in the competition and then we get to the final and I tell him he cannot play?
“I am two things, a football manager and a human being, and the human being won this time and it is so nice that it paid off. He deserves it.”
Liverpool’s last domestic cup final success was the 2012 League Cup under Kenny Dalglish. Liverpool has won the Champions League in 2019 and Premier League in 2020 under Klopp.
The game opened with a pre-match show of solidarity to the people of Ukraine after the invasion by Russia, with applause around Wembley as the blue and yellow of Ukraine appeared on stadium screens.
“Some of the videos and clips you see are frightening but hopefully it will end soon and we can all have peace,” said Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. “We stand together for Ukraine because what is happening is awful.”
The war has put a sharp spotlight on Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich, whose ongoing ownership of the west London club has been criticized by British politicians.
PREMIER LEAGUE GAME
In the day’s only Premier League game, Tomas Soucek boosted West Ham’s push for a Champions League spot by clinching a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton.
West Ham had slipped down to sixth in the league before the game, having taken just five points from its previous five matches, but bounced back against Bruno Lage’s side to move above Arsenal into fifth place. Manchester United is only two points ahead in the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot. Wolves is five points behind West Ham in eighth place.
Liverpool beats Chelsea 11-10 on penalties to win League Cup
https://arab.news/cq8kp
Liverpool beats Chelsea 11-10 on penalties to win League Cup
- Liverpool’s last domestic cup final success was the 2012 League Cup under Kenny Dalglish
100 aspiring young golfers in Saudi Arabia set for next phase with ROSHN Rising Stars
- Arab News spoke to Tyler Jacobson, director of corporate communications at ROSHN Group, about the program’s growth and its long-term vision
RIYADH: With LIV Golf Riyadh 2026 in the books, the success of 22-year-old Australian Elvis Smylie — who claimed victory at Riyadh Golf Club last weekend — has certainly inspired more than just the professionals on the leaderboard.
ROSHN Group, title partner of LIV Golf Riyadh 2026, is now looking to build on that momentum by expanding the ROSHN Rising Stars program, an initiative designed to create opportunities for the next generation of young Saudi golfers.
Following months of training and exposure across LIV Golf events in the UK and US, including participation in the Riyadh Pro-Am tournament, the program is set to enter its next phase, expanding to support a total of 100 aspiring golfers across the Kingdom.
Arab News spoke to Tyler Jacobson, director of corporate communications at ROSHN Group, about the program’s growth and its long-term vision.
“The ROSHN Rising Stars are a group of kids who have come together to learn golf,” Jacobson said. “Many of them have never played golf before in their lives, but last summer, when we partnered with LIV Golf as an international pillar partner, we decided to do something bigger and more meaningful.”
The program focuses not only on developing golfing ability, but on personal growth beyond the course.
“We wanted to give young people the opportunity to grow and learn in the sport of golf, as well as learn new skills on and off of the golf course.”
Golf’s footprint in the region has grown in recent years, with millions tuning in for events in the Middle East as kids partake in the sport through initiatives like the ROSHN Fan Village. For ROSHN Group, that growth aligns naturally with its broader quality-of-life objectives.
“We have seen a real appetite and hunger to engage with the sport. Golf teaches you patience, discipline and values that carry far beyond competition,” Jacobson said. “Quality of life and sport go hand-in-hand, and that’s exactly why we’ve partnered with LIV Golf.
“They’re elevating not only their skills, but their aptitude for life, for traveling, for exposure to new things. This is where we believe the program has offered a lot to the children.”
Participants in the program range in age from 8 to 15, with the program offering an unprecedented level of opportunities to youth in Saudi Arabia.
During the course, which lasts six months, they will receive professional coaching and access to elite golfing facilities in Saudi Arabia, in addition to hands-on competitive experiences. The program is set to support a total of 100 aspiring golfers across Saudi Arabia.
Jacobson believes that events such as LIV Golf play a key role in inspiring youth-focused initiatives like ROSHN Rising Stars.
“LIV Golf is a young league, but it’s doing things like creating new formats and exposing new people across the world to the sport of golf,” he said.
“Traditionally, the sport has been more Westernized, so (allowing) Saudi youth to grow at this stage of the game is a huge opportunity,” Jacobson added. “You see it in our projects, in our communities. It aligns completely with Saudi Vision 2030.”
That quality-of-life aspect has been a strong selling point for golf in breaking into new audiences. In a world where sports are increasingly dominated by success, fame and money, golf also provides an opportunity to grow from a human perspective.
“Ultimately, your skills are not what truly matter,” Jacobson said. “What matters is the desire to learn, to commit and to grow. That’s what we value, and that’s what this program is about.”
