LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has conceded that only winning the League Cup would not mean a successful season for his team, who remain in contention for an unprecedented quadruple.
Klopp’s men face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday in a repeat of the League Cup final in February, which the Reds won in a marathon penalty shootout 11-10.
Liverpool also face Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 28, but their Premier League title hopes are fading due to Manchester City’s fine form.
City lead by three points with two games to go and their goal difference is seven goals better.
“This season so far, I think we all agree, is a very successful season,” said Klopp. “But without winning anything, it will not be the season (we want).
“We won the Carabao (League) Cup already but we are Liverpool, we are a world-class club, we have a world-class team, so it’s difficult to define a season as absolutely perfectly successful if you win the Carabao Cup only.
“We know that. The decisive part is coming now, no problem at all.
“It’s the first time ever a team fought for the title and was in three finals — so there’s a reason for it because it’s really difficult and really intense. Being here is good, but the icing on the cake is still missing and we are working on that now.”
Liverpool have not won the FA Cup for 16 years, since Steven Gerrard broke West Ham hearts in a thrilling 3-3 final that went to penalties.
Only James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have won the trophy among Klopp’s squad — both at other clubs — and the new generation of Liverpool heroes are keen to make their mark.
Forward Sadio Mane said: “I’ve been asking the boys, ‘When was the last time Liverpool won it?’ I think it was a long time ago. Not only the players, I think all the fans around the world are very excited to win it again.
“We won the Premier League, Champions League, so winning the FA Cup will be massive for us, for everyone at the club as well and the fans.”
League Cup not enough for hungry Liverpool, says Klopp
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League Cup not enough for hungry Liverpool, says Klopp
- Klopp's men face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday in a repeat of the League Cup final in February
- Liverpool also face Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 28
Record prize of up to $200k for a 9-darter at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters
- Players who complete a perfect leg will receive $100,000, with the chance to double it by hitting the bullseye with a bonus 10th dart
- 8 Professional Darts Corporation stars will take on 8 of Asia’s top players in the tournament on Jan. 19 and 20 at the Global Theater in Boulevard City
RIYADH: Players at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters in Riyadh next week have a chance to win a record-breaking cash prize for a nine-dart finish, with up to $200,000 up for grabs for a perfect leg.
Eight Professional Darts Corporation stars will take on eight of Asia’s leading players at the tournament, which is part of Riyadh Season, on Jan. 19 and 20 at the Global Theater in Boulevard City.
Turki Alalshikh, chairperson of the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority, revealed on Thursday that any player who hits a perfect nine-darter during the event will receive a $100,000 bonus, with the chance to double it through the Riyadh Season Bullseye Challenge.
With the leg already won, the player will throw a 10th dart, and if it hits the bullseye the prize will be doubled to $200,000, the biggest amount ever offered by a PDC-sanctioned event for a nine-darter.
Reigning world champion Luke Littler, who will head the line-up in Riyadh, previously hit a nine-darter on the World Series of Darts stage at the Bahrain Masters in 2024.
He will be joined by 2023/24 world champion Luke Humphries, world championship runner-up Gian van Veen, and three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.
The PDC contingent also includes former world champion Gerwyn Price, world No. 7 Stephen Bunting, former UK Open winner Danny Noppert, and 2023 World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.
Asia will be represented by Singapore veteran Paul Lim, who in 1990 famously threw the first televised World Darts Championship nine-darter, alongside Filipinos Alexis Toylo, Lourence Ilagan and Paolo Nebrida, Japan’s Motomu Sakai, Ryusei Azemoto and Tomoya Goto, and Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung.
