Liverpool beat Chelsea in the FA Cup Final on penalties

 Liverpool beat Chelsea in the FA Cup Final on penalties.

And so it came to pass that Liverpool, once one of the most defensively impenetrable of top flight teams, lifted the FA Cup for the first time in 16 years. This may be hard to believe since Liverpool teams throughout the years have always rubbed shoulders among the wealthy elite of the Premier League. Older supporters will always dine out on the remarkable exploits of their predecessors. Under both Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, Liverpool were one of the most durable, consistent and brilliantly cohesive of sides capable of ransacking defences rather like ancient pirates looking for vast stores of booty at sea or treasure hunters in search of gold.

Yesterday, 16 years after their last FA Cup Final victory in Cardiff against a plucky and spirited West Ham, who led twice in the game, Liverpool narrowly edged their way past a Chelsea still reeling after their owner Roman Abramovich decided to up sticks and move onto his next vanity project. That the game itself went to a penalty shoot out was almost predictable given the abundant attacking gifts of both teams. But Liverpool, on the balance of play just about deserved their victory since Chelsea were probably haunted by last year's Cup Final defeat to Leicester City and Arsenal the year before.

On the day red had the upper hand over the strangely bizarre yellow shirts of Chelsea. Once again an FA Cup Final day had been consigned to a late tea time spot once occupied by Dixon of Dock Green. In fact owing to the ridiculous scheduling of this match somebody at the BBC had decided that they didn't want the game to overlap with last night's Eurovision Song Contest. This is the kind of prioritising that somehow defies belief. A case of from the sublime to the ridiculous.

But here we were once again for the game's prettiest hardy perennial and much as expected the two leading players in the Premier League's marathon race were on hand to put the daintiest touches to another Wembley FA Cup Final. In fact this was the 150th anniversary so maybe the victorious should have been presented with just a slice of birthday cake. If only the Old Etonians and Royal Engineers had known what would happen all of those decades and centuries later, they may have decided that Liverpool were the worthiest of recipients in this year's FA Cup Final.

Now though 30 years since losing to Manchester United in the FA Cup Final wearing their famous designer white shirts and jackets, Liverpool were once again pure as the driven snow. The sight of Robbie Fowler and Steve Mcmanaman parading their sartorially elegant attire around the old Wembley almost feels like the most terrible fashion statement of the time. And then there was John Barnes and Jamie Redknapp, surely one of the most inventive players of the time. This time there would be a happy ever refrain for Liverpool. 

As for the game itself Liverpool would fly out of the starting blocks with adventurous, beautifully constructive football, attacking freely and fluently through the middle without any of the inhibitions that may have impeded them against United all those years ago. Both Mo Salah and Sadio Mane were stretching and pulling open the seams and cracks in Chelsea's brittle defensive backbone. Liverpool were at their most swashbuckling, inspirational and aesthetically pleasing to the eye with their quick, impulsive passing that twirled and twisted its way around the back of the West London side.

But with every passing minute you somehow knew that this would prove an entertaining and diverting goal-less stalemate. Both Chelsea and Liverpool had done extensive research on each other and besides they've played each other so often that perhaps they knew each other's leg measurements. In the Carabao Cup Final both of these sides had run themselves to a standstill. Here again they were still deciphering each other's code and in the end coming up with nothing they didn't know before. In the old League Cup Final penalties were the decisive factors and once again they would prove the undoing of one over the other.

For muchs of the game Reece James, Marcos Alonso, the ageless Thiago Silva and the ever eye catching Antonio Rudiger found themselves running around in ever increasing circles, chasing red shadows and occasionally seeing red mists. N'Golo Kante is still one of the most creative attacking players in the game but alongside the impeccable Mason Mount and always skilful Jorginho, Chelsea flickered rather than exploded .

 Liverpool had their anchor of stability in the always mightily impressive Jordan Henderson, now approaching the twilight of his career but still outstandingly influential. Henderson held his position in the centre of Liverpool's midfield with that controlling presence that has always distinguished him throughout the years. With Diogo Joata, James Milner and the marvellously effective Thiago Alcantara linking and jinking, passing among themselves and then improvising with consummate ease, Liverpool finished the 90 minutes marginally stronger.

In extra time cramp had set in with a vengeance and legs were turning to the proverbial jelly. Nowadays footballers do like to pride themselves on being fitter than ever before. But yesterday Liverpool seemed to have an extra litre of petrol in their tanks. Still, the game petered out much to the satisfaction and relief of both teams. If this game had lasted another year neither team will have figured out how to break each other down.

And there was the penalty shoot out, now an almost prominent feature in any Cup Final of recent times. Liverpool went through the motions with successful spot kicks and finally Chelsea lost their nerve. With the advantage firmly in Liverpool's favour, Kostas Tsimikas from Greece, confidently stepped up to take the game's deciding penalty and scored with comfortable and effortless ease. Cue wild Liverpool celebrations. Jurgen Klopp, their hirsute and very bearded manager just trotted around Wembley with a series of almost self conscious fist pumps. Chelsea, for their part, must be hoping that we don't get to this stage of the FA Cup with yet more repeat editions. It would almost become too unbearable for words.