Jurgen Klopp injury updates on Darwin, Endo, Gravenberch & Szoboszlai after Carabao Cup final win

Liverpool won their tenth League Cup in dramatic fashion on Sunday evening — a feat made even more impressive by the list of absent players from the Reds' available squad.

While 'Klopp's Kids' ultimately did the business against Chelsea at Wembley, the Reds were without a full XI of first-team regulars for the 1-0 extra-time victory.

Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Stefan Bajcetic, Alisson Becker, Ben Doak, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota and Joel Matip are all longer-term absentees, while trio Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai failed in their late bids for fitness ahead of the fixture.

As if that wasn't enough, Ryan Gravenberch had to be stretchered off in the first half after a horror challenge from Moises Caicedo that went unpunished, while Wataru Endo was seen using crutches and wearing a protective boot in the aftermath of the win.

With four games to come in the next 12 days, culminating in a huge Premier League clash at Anfield against title rivals Manchester City on 10 March, Liverpool are desperate for the return of extra bodies while avoiding any more fitness issues.

Speaking after Sunday's cup win, Jurgen Klopp gave hints over the status of four of his injury concerns.

Ryan Gravenberch - 'Not broken'

Speaking to Sky Sports, the boss assured that Liverpool's Dutch star had not 'broken' his ankle from Caicedo's challenge, but had suffered ligament damage.

He said: “It was not even a foul on Gravenberch?! He didn’t even whistle a foul. The fourth official says to me, ‘we cannot give a card because [he didn’t whistle for foul]’. Oh, good.

“I’m not sure if these boys are too quick for them, but this situation, for me, is obvious. The doctor saw it on the video and saw just the foot stepping on the ankle. That’s everything you need for a card.

“They did an x-ray, it is not broken but the ligaments got something. I actually feel really bad, but all the rest was brilliant.”

Wataru Endo - 'Stiffest legs I ever saw'

On Endo, who played the full 120 minutes, Klopp didn't address any specific injury issues but noted how the game had taken it's toll on the 31-year-old Japanese star.

"Wataru Endo, oh my god. He walked through the ceremony with the stiffest legs I ever saw," Klopp said, before praising the surprise £16m summer signing.

"I said a couple of times we are lucky. He might be 30 or 31 in the passport but he is not, he's a machine. Footballing wise he is exceptional, defensively insane."

Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai - 'They looked 100%'

Nunez and Szoboszlai were among those in attendance at Wembley, despite not being in the matchday squad, with the pair's exuberant celebrations after the final whistle catching the attention of many fans — and the manager.

Klopp joked: "Darwin and Dom are not fit, that's why they didn't play, but in the celebrations they looked 100% so I will have to speak with the medical department about that."

Speaking before the game, Szoboszlai revealed he argued with the Liverpool medical team to be involved but was ultimately deemed too high risk.

"I don’t wear it well, I hate not playing," he told the Hungarian media. “I argued a lot with the doctors. I feel like I could play, but the diagnosis doesn’t show that. I believe they know better, but that’s how it feels."

The players' next opportunity to be involved comes in Wednesday's FA Cup fifth round clash against Southampton. After that the Reds travel to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday, 2 March.