The incredible stats behind 'Klopp's Kids' in Carabao Cup final triumph

Liverpool's tenth Carabao Cup final triumph was arguably their greatest ever. 

The Reds came up against a billion pound Chelsea side stacked with expensive and world-class talent, all while having an entire starting lineup of injured players absent for the showpiece event.

Ryan Gravenberch was another casualty during the game, adding his name to the likes of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota on the injury list, while Jurgen Klopp's side also saw a controversial offside call deny them the lead in the second half.

The odds were stacked against Liverpool from the first whistle to the last, but Klopp wasn't scared to chuck a number of academy prospects into the mix.

Harvey Elliott, Caoimhin Kelleher, Conor Bradley, Bobby Clark, Jarell Quansah, James McConnell and Jayden Danns all featured at Wembley on Sunday, the Liverpool academy stars entrusted with guiding the Reds to the trophy.

That's exactly what they did with an array of dazzling performances on the big stage, with Klopp's commitment to youth paying off.

According to Opta's Michael Reid, in Gravenberch (21), Elliott (21) and Bradley (20), Liverpool started three players 21 or under for the first time in a major final in the club's history.

On top of this, McConnell (19), Clark (19) and Danns (18) all came off the bench, the most teenagers to appear in a League Cup final for a single team since Arsenal in 2007.

Danns was also making only his second appearance for the Reds from the bench and the youngster was mightily impressive in a nerve-wracking environment, almost netting in extra-time himself.

His appearance on Sunday makes Danns only the second Liverpool player to have ever made one of his first two appearances in a major cup final - the other being Ian Rush in the 1981 League Cup final replay.

Klopp's faith in Liverpool's young players certainly paid dividends on Sunday, with all of those involved performing spectacularly well given the circumstances.

Virgil van Dijk's 118th-minute winner will grab all the headlines, but the likes of Clark, McConnell and Danns more than played their part in Carabao Cup glory.