'What a performance' - Liverpool's Carabao Cup final hero praised by ex-Premier League star

Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has received more praise for his performance during Sunday's Carabao Cup win over Chelsea. The Reds came out on top after extra time, with Virgil van Dijk heading home in the final moments.

Jurgen Klopp's men were challenegd by injuries before and during the game, while they had to overcome a disallowed goal early in the game. Chelsea pushed the Reds all the way at Wembley, and goalkeeper Kelleher put on an inspired display, making key stops and blocks to protect his side's clean sheet.

Kelleher has had to be patient at Anfield, playing back-up to Alisson Becker and finding starts hard to come by. The 25-year-old only has 10 league starts since making his breakthrough in 2019, but he has proved he can remain ready over recent weeks, stepping in for the injured Allison and performing excellently.

Virgil van Dijk spoke about the Irishman's impressive performance after Sunday's Carabao Cup final, and former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given has weighed in on the conversation, writing on X: "What a performance Caoimhin."

Kelleher has 11 Republic of Ireland caps to his name so far, and his recent performances will likely put him in line to add that total. Former Sheffield United goalkeeper Paul Heckingbottom also praised Kelleher during BBC Five Live's coverage, saying: "As soon as the final whistle blew, several players jumped on Kelleher because of how much of a job he did. He made a few very important saves. A brilliant performance.

"It is a big, big day for everyone. Kelleher has a lot of potential, it's great experience for him, Danns, McConnell and the others. All it will do is speed up the experience for these young players. Chelsea were the better team after 90 minutes, but they can't have complaints that Liverpool won this game."