SUMMARY
- Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley Stadium to win the Carabao Cup.
- Most competitions offer prize money along with the trophy, but the Carabao Cup doesn't provide much in terms of prize money.
In what was a clash of the heavyweights, Liverpool defeated Chelsea 1-0 to take home the Carabao Cup. The Wembley Stadium was packed as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool took on Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea. In the end, it was Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk’s goal that sealed the win. However, let’s take a look at how much prize money Liverpool won after their Carabao Cup triumph.
Started in 1960-61 as the Football League Cup, the Carabao Cup doesn’t offer much in prize money. At almost every competition, teams receive a handsome amount of money alongside the trophy. To put things into context, the prize money for winning the Premier League is estimated to be more than £100 million ($126 million). Moreover, Manchester City brought home around $86.4 million after their 2023 Champions League win.
🚨 Based on last season’s prize money & television money total, Arsenal will pocket £159.8m for their second place finish in the Premier League this season – compared to champions Manchester City’s £161.3m. [@ChrisWheatley] #afc pic.twitter.com/hd21U0ZnWc
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) May 25, 2023
However, Liverpool will reportedly receive only £100,000 in prize money after winning the Carabao Cup. The runners-up, Chelsea, will earn around £50,000. In addition to this, the two semifinalists, Fulham and Middlesbrough, will bring home £25,000 each. However, the rest of the teams who were knocked out before the semifinals won’t receive any cash reward.
Virgil van Dijk’s late winner seals Liverpool’s Carabao Cup triumph
Meanwhile, it was Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk who stepped up to the occasion and scored the winning goal of the Carabao Cup final. It was a grueling encounter between Chelsea and Liverpool with both teams coming very close to score. Van Dijk even had one of his goals ruled out for offside before he finally went on to score a winner.
Liverpool fans serenade Jurgen Klopp and his squad with a spine tingling rendition of club anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”#CarabaoCupFinal #LFC pic.twitter.com/DsKst6n9Gp
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) February 25, 2024
For Jurgen Klopp, it was a fitting farewell despite having most of his first-choice players unavailable for the game. Players like Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander Arnold, Allison, and Darwin Nunez were all ruled out due to injuries. However, Van Dijk’s 118th-minute winner from a corner was enough for Jurgen Klopp to win his second Carabao Cup title in what is his final season at the English club.
A look at the most successful team in Carabao Cup’s history
In the meantime, it was a record-extending tenth Carabao Cup title for Liverpool. ‘The Reds’ are the most successful team in the competition, winning it ten times and being runners-up on four occasions. Aston Villa became the first team to ever win the competition back in 1960-61, and have won five titles overall. Manchester City comes second on the list with eight Carabao Cup titles to their name.
Interestingly, four of City’s eight titles have come during the current head coach Pep Guardiola‘s reign. After Manchester City, Manchester United is the third-most successful club in the competition with six titles. Chelsea and Aston Villa are tied for the fourth place with five titles each. Lastly, former Manchester City stars Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho hold the record for winning the most Carabao Cup titles (6) individually.