LIVERPOOL BOSS WAS ABSOLUTELY BAFFLED- KOSTAS TSIMIKAS DISCLOSE HIS WORD WITH KLOPP BEFORE SHOOTOUT.
Kostas Tsimikas left Jurgen Klopp absolutely baffled after specfically asking for the seventh Liverpool penalty against Chelsea on Saturday.
Liverpool took on Chelsea in the FA Cup on Saturday evening and there was a major sense of deja vu.
The two sides battled for the Carabao Cup in February but played out a 0-0 draw in 120 minutes before Liverpool won on penalties.
The exact same thing happened again with neither side able to score in normal time or extra time.
Liverpool won it on penalties again as Alisson saved from Mason Mount before Tsimikas scored the crucial spot kick.
That’s two domestic trophies for Liverpool as they chase a quadruple, with the Premier League and Champions League to go.
KOSTAS TSIMIKAS LEFT JURGEN KLOPP ABSOLUTELY BAFFLED
James Milner, Thiago, Roberto Firmino and Trent Alexander-Arnold all scored for Liverpool before Sadio Mane’s spot kick was saved by Edouard Mendy.
Diogo Jota made it 5-5 in sudden death before Mount’s effort was saved. That allowed Tsimikas to step up and take the glory for Liverpool.
Tsimikas coolly slotted home, sending Mendy the wrong way and sparking wild celebrations at Wembley.
But just how did Tsimikas end up taking the seventh penalty?
Tsimikas has told BBC Sport (20:26) that, when Klopp asked him which penalty he wanted, he specifically asked for number seven.
Klopp was left somewhat baffled; why on earth did Tsimikas specifically want number seven?
It’s not even like Tsimikas suggested that he wasn’t quite confident enough to take one of the first five; given his pick, he wanted number seven.
Tsimikas noted that Klopp asked him why he wanted that number but the Greek ace was steadfast in his request even without a proper reason – and it worked out perfectly.
Tsimikas took Liverpool’s seventh penalty and dispatched it to win the game, seemingly foreseeing that he could be the match-winner for the Reds.
“It’s very, very special for me. The manager asked me which number I want. I say number seven. He asks me why so far? I say I want number seven,” said Tsimikas. “And number seven gave me the opportunity to win the game. I choose the right side and I score. And I am very happy with that,” he added.
