Klopp cradles the Carabao Cup as he sleeps on the flight

Jurgen Klopp was pictured taking a nap on the flight back to Liverpool after his team defeated Chelsea to lift the Carabao Cup on Sunday.

The 56-year-old’s nerves were tested repeatedly on Sunday as his injury-hit team played out a thrilling back-and-forth encounter at Wembley.

Chelsea appeared to have drawn first blood when Raheem Sterling connected with a pass from Nicolas Jackson to put the ball in the back of the net.

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However, a VAR review later confirmed that the Senegal international had been slightly offside in the build-up and the stalemate between the two teams continued.

The Reds also suffered another casualty in their team when Ryan Gravenberch was stretchered off the field after a poor tackle by Moisés Caicedo and replaced by Joe Gómez.

Virgil van Dijk scored a header late in extra time to secure the victory for the Reds.

In his first major final since succeeding Jordan Henderson as club captain, Virgil van Dijk produced a talismanic performance for Klopp’s side.

Shortly after the hour mark, the Dutchman headed home to wild celebrations from the Reds fans in attendance.

Once again the ball was in the net and once again the possible goal was disallowed for offside, sparking reactions from fans on social media.

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With the game going into extra time, Klopp introduced several academy graduates to watch the end of the game. Once again, it was Van Dijk who made the difference, scoring the decisive goal when the game was on the brink of penalties.

Speaking after the performance, Klopp insisted Sunday’s victory was the “most special trophy” he has won in his illustrious career.

After the match, Klopp called the trophy “without a doubt the most special” of his entire career.