There isn’t much I can say about Liverpool’s incredible Carabao Cup victory that hasn’t already been said. But even so, it would be wrong of me not to at least acknowledge one of the most unusual games of the season.

The way Jürgen Klopp’s Under-12 team held off the challenge of “billion-pound bottlers” Chelsea despite it being past their bedtime has made this one of the most written about finals in decades.

But one point I haven’t seen mentioned so far – but which is a thought that is definitely bouncing around in my head – is whether seeing his children lift this trophy will have any bearing on Klopp’s decision to leave the club at the end of the season.

Had this victory been achieved by a full-strength Liverpool including the likes of Alisson Becker, Mohammed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Joel Matip, Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander Arnold, then I am sure Klopp would have been overjoyed.

Nothing helps shake off that feeling of being drained and listless quite like standing on the threshold of something special

However, the fact that the 1-0 triumph came in the absence of so many established stars, with young and inexperienced players stepping up to the plate, will have made the victory so much sweeter. It will have given Klopp an enthralling glimpse of the future which is, evidently, bursting with potential.

And nothing helps shake off that feeling of being drained and listless quite like standing on the threshold of something special.

The simple truth is walking away from a bunch of massively promising youngsters is going to be a damn sight harder than saying goodbye to a group of players who are either firmly established or entering the latter stages of their careers.

Let’s not forget, Sir Alex Ferguson announced he would be retiring at the end of the 2002 season before changing his mind and going on to lead Manchester United for more than another decade.

So, this sort of decision is not irreversible by any stretch of the imagination.

Having said that, I still believe Klopp will end up leaving Anfield in a few months’ time, possibly and probably with a couple more trophies to his name.

But what his young lads achieved last Sunday will make his departure a whole lot more emotional.

 

Meme attack

Meanwhile, has a football game ever generated as many memes as that final?

There were tons of them, of wildly varying humour levels, pretty much all focussed on the staggeringly young age of the Klopp’s team.

My favourite? The simple one that said, in the wake of Liverpool’s win, post-match doping tests revealed that four of the squad tested positive. For Calpol.

Class.

 

Haaland on the rampage

If there were any doubts about Erling Haaland’s form, I think it’s safe to say he put those to bed on Tuesday night.

In fact, he didn’t just put them to bed but took them a mug of cocoa, tucked them in and read them a bedtime story.

After two months out with a foot injury, the Norwegian hitman hadn’t been showing his usual prowess in front of goal since his return. And this prompted some people to start wondering if he would be able to get back to his best this season.

But his five goals in Manchester City’s 6-2 FA Cup mauling of Luton Town should have gone a long way towards extinguishing those fires of doubt.

In hitting his 75th, 76th, 77th, 78th and 79th goals for Pep Guardiola’s team, he became the first player to score five goals on two occasions for City. Yet another record to add to the long list he has broken since arriving in England.

And all this in just 83 games.

Given his world-class performance at Kenilworth Road it is hard to even begin to imagine that Haaland’s display could be overshadowed. But, in my opinion, he was only the second-best City player on the night.

Kevin De Bruyne, who himself has had a injury-hit season, was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch, and set up four of Haaland’s five goals.

The fact that those two crucial components of the City machine have hit peak form as we enter the business end of the season is ominous for the other teams in the title race. Having said that, Arsenal are looking equally ruthless, while Liverpool have their noses in front and now have a playground full of wonderkids to call on to complement their established stars.

It’s going to be a cracking final few months in the scrap to be crowned champions, and I don’t mind admitting I don’t have the foggiest clue who will come out on top...

 

The Maltese assist king

It’s always deeply satisfying to see a Maltese footballer kicking ass in a foreign league, and Jodi Jones is doing precisely that for Notts County.

The winger set up a team mate to score on Tuesday night, taking his number of assists for the season to 21. And that is record for any of England’s top four divisions over the past 20 years.

The previous record of 20 was jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, putting Jones in rather illustrious company. Not only that, but 21 assists put him on par with a little-known Argentinian player called Lionel Messi.

And there are still three months of the season to go...

I am sure Jones won’t say it out loud out of respect for Notts County, who are, after all, a team with massive history. But surely this sort of form should earn the Malta international a move up the leagues this summer?

Teams up and down the leagues are crying out for players who can create chances, and Jones must be top of several teams’ watch lists, certainly at Championship level.

As I said at the beginning, it’s always rewarding to see Maltese players doing well. In Jones’ case he is doing brilliantly, and that should be welcomed by every single person who wants to see Maltese football grow and flourish.

 

E-mail: James.calvert@timesofmalta.com

Twitter: @Maltablade