Klopp's Kids vs Blue Bottlejobs: Massive transfer cost shows difference between Liverpool & Chelsea

Sunday's Carabao Cup final proved an incredibly memorable one for Liverpool. 

The Reds fought against a mountain of injuries to key players, some questionable refereeing decisions and a star-studded Chelsea side to lift the trophy thanks to Virgil van Dijk's 118th-minute header.

It was the only goal of an enthralling game, with Liverpool's academy youngsters playing a significant part in a sensational victory in the capital.

While Chelsea had their own injury concerns, they were blessed with a far more complete and expensive lineup than Liverpool, but they still struggled to make the Reds suffer at Wembley.

Here is how the Liverpool and Chelsea squads compared in price during Sunday's Carabao Cup final.

STARTING LINEUPS

Liverpool were without the likes of Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Diogo Jota and, of course, Mohamed Salah for the clash with the Blues, but still secured their tenth League Cup crown on Sunday - a competition record.

The Reds had three academy graduates in the starting lineup - Caoimhin Kelleher, Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott - as well as a midfield entirely comprised of summer signings.

In total, the Reds' starting XI set the club back £282m, with six players costing over £30m.

The most expensive player for Jurgen Klopp's side was Virgil van Dijk (£75m), followed by Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz (£37m each).

However, Kelleher and Bradley both set Liverpool back nothing in terms of transfer fees, while Elliott cost just £4m and Andy Robertson just £8m.

In comparison, Chelsea's cash-fuelled starting lineup cost £471m, with two £100m-plus players in the Blues' midfield.

Those were of course Moises Caicedo (£115m) and Enzo Fernandez (£107m), while the likes of Ben Chilwell (£50m), Raheem Sterling (£48m) and Cole Palmer (£40m) all cost a fair whack.

The Blues did also boast two academy players in their starting unit, with Levi Colwill and Conor Gallagher having come through at Cobham, but Mauricio Pochettino's side cost almost half-a-billion pounds.

END OF FINAL LINEUPS

Liverpool's obvious problem heading into the final was a lack of senior depth, with Klopp calling on a number of teenagers from the bench to help the Reds to glory.

As a result, the team that finished the game for Liverpool cost just £150m - half of which comes from the £75m match-winner Van Dijk.

Liverpool had only two players on the pitch that cost above £20m by the end of extra-time, while also fielding six individuals who cost under £5m - including Kelleher, Jarell Quansah, James McConnell and Jayden Danns who set the club back nothing.

By contrast, Chelsea's lineup somehow got more expensive by the end of proceedings, increasing to a staggering combined total of £512m.

£222m of that came in midfield with Caicedo and Fernandez - significantly more than Liverpool's entire lineup by full-time - while Chelsea brought on £171m of substitutes at Wembley - Mykhailo Mudryk (£89m), Christopher Nkunku (£52m) and Noni Madueke (£30m).

By the end of the game, Chelsea had just three players on the pitch who cost under £20m, including academy graduates Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah.

While Liverpool still had plenty of costly players donning red on Sunday, the fact they overcame such an astonishingly expensive Chelsea side is a testament to Klopp and his players.

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*Sums calculated using initial fees and excluding add-ons for both sides. Figures rounded to whole numbers.