Liverpool have their sights on a "special" League Cup triumph in Sunday's final against Chelsea as Jurgen Klopp reaches the first milestone moment of his long goodbye.

Klopp is in his last season as Liverpool manager after the German's bombshell announcement that he will step down at the end of the current campaign.

Although Klopp is convinced, he no longer has the energy to drive Liverpool's relentless quest for silverware, there has been little sign of the feared decline in his side's fortunes following his stunning revelation.

Liverpool have won five of their six matches in all competitions, scoring 21 goals in the process, since the 56-year-old revealed his plan to quit.

Extending that hot streak at Wembley this weekend would give Liverpool their first trophy since 2022, when they beat Chelsea in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals.

Klopp has won six major trophies during an iconic nine-year reign and his quadruple-chasing players are desperate to give him a silverware-filled farewell.

As well as this weekend's date with Chelsea, Liverpool sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League, face Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday and take on Sparta Prague in the Europa League last 16.

"We want to make it a special day and get our first trophy of the season," Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said. "The end of the season will probably be very emotional for a lot of people, including the manager, but we are not there yet."

Klopp's assistant Pep Lijnders echoed Van Dijk's call to make it a day to remember for their boss.

"We'll go for it. It's a special game. Special games need special performances so we have to focus on that," Lijnders said.

Lijnders insisted Klopp was always confident Liverpool's players would keep their focus after his shock announcement.

"I think you underestimate our squad, the personalities in it," he said. "A lot of these boys didn't win anything with Liverpool yet so of course they give everything despite the manager saying he is leaving. We are stable enough to deal with it."

<h2>- 'Dream for us' -</h2>

Lijnders' reference to several of Liverpool's young squad waiting to taste success underscores Klopp's achievement in rebuilding his team after the pre-season departures of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and James Milner among others.

The Reds' resolve will be tested at Wembley by a mounting injury crisis that leaves them without Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai face late fitness tests.

But taking advantage of Liverpool's injury woes will be easier said than done for inconsistent Chelsea.

Mauricio Pochettino's team were one of Liverpool's victims during their recent goal spree, losing 4-1 at Anfield in January.

Former Tottenham and Southampton boss Pochettino, yet to win a trophy in England, has been under fire from angry Chelsea fans as a troubled season threatens to spiral out of control.

With Chelsea languishing 25 points behind Liverpool in 10th place in the Premier League, a surprise win at Wembley would be a major boost to the Argentine's job security.

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is expected to fly in from the United States to watch the Blues' first cup final since he and Behdad Eghbali bought the London club from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

Boehly has spent over £1 billion ($1.26 billion) on signings in a failed attempt to recapture the Abramovich glory days.

Pochettino, whose Tottenham side were beaten by Chelsea in the 2015 League Cup final, knows how significant it would be to end the Blues' wait for a first domestic prize since the 2018 FA Cup.

"It's a dream for us. We have the opportunity and we're going to fight. The team is ready and we're going to be very competitive," said Pochettino, who has won just one of his 13 meetings with Klopp. "The team is awake to the competition. There was a click to change in the way we compete, that we were missing in the first half of the season."

Liverpool have their sights on a "special" League Cup triumph in Sunday's final against Chelsea as Jurgen Klopp reaches the first milestone moment of his long goodbye.

Liverpool have their sights on a "special" League Cup triumph in Sunday's final against Chelsea as Jurgen Klopp reaches the first milestone moment of his long goodbye. Klopp is in his last season as Liverpool manager after the German's bombshell announcement that he will step down at the end of the current campaign. Although Klopp is convinced, he no longer has the energy to drive Liverpool's relentless quest for silverware, there has been little sign of the feared decline in his side's fortunes following his stunning revelation. Liverpool have won five of their six matches in all competitions, scoring 21 goals in the process, since the 56-year-old revealed his plan to quit. Extending that hot streak at Wembley this weekend would give Liverpool their first trophy since 2022, when they beat Chelsea in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals. Klopp has won six major trophies during an iconic nine-year reign and his quadruple-chasing players are desperate to give him a silverware-filled farewell. As well as this weekend's date with Chelsea, Liverpool sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League, face Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday and take on Sparta Prague in the Europa League last 16. "We want to make it a special day and get our first trophy of the season," Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said. "The end of the season will probably be very emotional for a lot of people, including the manager, but we are not there yet." Klopp's assistant Pep Lijnders echoed Van Dijk's call to make it a day to remember for their boss. "We'll go for it. It's a special game. Special games need special performances so we have to focus on that," Lijnders said. Lijnders insisted Klopp was always confident Liverpool's players would keep their focus after his shock announcement. "I think you underestimate our squad, the personalities in it," he said. "A lot of these boys didn't win anything with Liverpool yet so of course they give everything despite the manager saying he is leaving. We are stable enough to deal with it." - 'Dream for us' - Lijnders' reference to several of Liverpool's young squad waiting to taste success underscores Klopp's achievement in rebuilding his team after the pre-season departures of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and James Milner among others. The Reds' resolve will be tested at Wembley by a mounting injury crisis that leaves them without Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai face late fitness tests. But taking advantage of Liverpool's injury woes will be easier said than done for inconsistent Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino's team were one of Liverpool's victims during their recent goal spree, losing 4-1 at Anfield in January. Former Tottenham and Southampton boss Pochettino, yet to win a trophy in England, has been under fire from angry Chelsea fans as a troubled season threatens to spiral out of control. With Chelsea languishing 25 points behind Liverpool in 10th place in the Premier League, a surprise win at Wembley would be a major boost to the Argentine's job security. Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is expected to fly in from the United States to watch the Blues' first cup final since he and Behdad Eghbali bought the London club from Roman Abramovich in 2022. Boehly has spent over £1 billion ($1.26 billion) on signings in a failed attempt to recapture the Abramovich glory days. Pochettino, whose Tottenham side were beaten by Chelsea in the 2015 League Cup final, knows how significant it would be to end the Blues' wait for a first domestic prize since the 2018 FA Cup. "It's a dream for us. We have the opportunity and we're going to fight. The team is ready and we're going to be very competitive," said Pochettino, who has won just one of his 13 meetings with Klopp. "The team is awake to the competition. There was a click to change in the way we compete, that we were missing in the first half of the season."

Jurgen Klopp sets sight on ‘special’ League Cup title as Liverpool ready for Chelsea in summit clash

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino bemoaned a familiar lack of cutting edge after his team lost the first leg of their League Cup semi-final 1-0 to Championship side Middlesbrough at the Riverside on Tuesday.

Hayden Hackney scored the only goal on 38 minutes as Pochettino's expensively assembled array of stars again failed to perform away from home.

Chelsea have lost five of their last six away games and 21 times on the road since the beginning of last season -- the most of any Premier League team.

The Blues must turn the tie around when the sides meet again at Stamford Bridge on January 23 to avoid heaping more pressure on Pochettino's position during a disappointing first season in charge for the Argentine.

"If we assess the performance overall we were the better side, had clear chances, but we didn't score and weren't clinical," said Pochettino. "It happened a lot this season."

Boro boss Michael Carrick could have been forgiven for cursing his luck after losing top scorer Emmanuel Latte Lath to injury after just three minutes.

Carrick was also forced to withdraw Alex Bangura inside 20 minutes but the second-tier side were not fazed.

"It's very special," said the former Manchester United midfielder. "I know it's a two-legged affair and there is still all to play for, but for what we've had to go through, the injuries, the setbacks we've had, to beat a team of Chelsea's quality is unbelievable."

Middlesbrough had not scored against Chelsea for over 17 years. The Blues had won the past nine meetings by an aggregate score of 21-0.

However, the home side ended that drought eight minutes before half-time.

The pace of Isaiah Jones down the right caused Chelsea's makeshift left-back Levi Colwill problems all night and his low cross was turned in by Hackney from close range.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/former-south-africa-player-cites-virat-kohlis-example-to-keep-tests-as-priority-over-t20-leagues-678327">Former South Africa player cites Virat Kohli's example to give Tests priority over T20 leagues</a>

<h2>Profligate Palmer</h2>

Chelsea, though, should have at least been level at the break had Cole Palmer maintained his fine scoring form in front of goal.

The former Manchester City academy graduate has been one of Chelsea's few big money signings to hit the ground running under Pochettino.

However, Palmer twice failed to hit the target with glorious first-half chances.

Firstly, he pulled his shot wide from the edge of the area after pouncing on an errant pass from Jonny Howson, and then he fired over the rebound after Tom Glover fumbled Enzo Fernandez's effort.

Palmer then fired too close to Glover with another big chance just before the break.

The flow of the second half was a different story as Chelsea pegged the home side back in search of an equaliser.

But there was a familiarity to the visitors' inability to find a way through.

Despite the club spending over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on players in the last three transfer windows, Pochettino suggested last month he would need to look to strengthen once more in order to address the lack of a goal threat.

Noni Madueke looked the most likely spark to Chelsea's attack, but he was sacrificed as Pochettino threw on Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja.

Raheem Sterling should have been more alive to meet one dangerous low cross from Broja, but that was all Chelsea's vast amount of possession in the final 20 minutes amounted to.

Middlesbrough conceded late to lose 1-0 to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

But this time the team that sit 12th in the Championship held out to keep their dreams of a Wembley final against either Liverpool or Fulham very much alive heading into the second leg.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino bemoaned a familiar lack of cutting edge after his team lost the first leg of their League Cup semi-final 1-0 to Championship side Middlesbrough at the Riverside on Tuesday.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino bemoaned a familiar lack of cutting edge after his team lost the first leg of their League Cup semi-final 1-0 to Championship side Middlesbrough at the Riverside on Tuesday. Hayden Hackney scored the only goal on 38 minutes as Pochettino's expensively assembled array of stars again failed to perform away from home. Chelsea have lost five of their last six away games and 21 times on the road since the beginning of last season -- the most of any Premier League team. The Blues must turn the tie around when the sides meet again at Stamford Bridge on January 23 to avoid heaping more pressure on Pochettino's position during a disappointing first season in charge for the Argentine. "If we assess the performance overall we were the better side, had clear chances, but we didn't score and weren't clinical," said Pochettino. "It happened a lot this season." Boro boss Michael Carrick could have been forgiven for cursing his luck after losing top scorer Emmanuel Latte Lath to injury after just three minutes. Carrick was also forced to withdraw Alex Bangura inside 20 minutes but the second-tier side were not fazed. "It's very special," said the former Manchester United midfielder. "I know it's a two-legged affair and there is still all to play for, but for what we've had to go through, the injuries, the setbacks we've had, to beat a team of Chelsea's quality is unbelievable." Middlesbrough had not scored against Chelsea for over 17 years. The Blues had won the past nine meetings by an aggregate score of 21-0. However, the home side ended that drought eight minutes before half-time. The pace of Isaiah Jones down the right caused Chelsea's makeshift left-back Levi Colwill problems all night and his low cross was turned in by Hackney from close range. ALSO READ | Former South Africa player cites Virat Kohli's example to give Tests priority over T20 leagues Profligate Palmer Chelsea, though, should have at least been level at the break had Cole Palmer maintained his fine scoring form in front of goal. The former Manchester City academy graduate has been one of Chelsea's few big money signings to hit the ground running under Pochettino. However, Palmer twice failed to hit the target with glorious first-half chances. Firstly, he pulled his shot wide from the edge of the area after pouncing on an errant pass from Jonny Howson, and then he fired over the rebound after Tom Glover fumbled Enzo Fernandez's effort. Palmer then fired too close to Glover with another big chance just before the break. The flow of the second half was a different story as Chelsea pegged the home side back in search of an equaliser. But there was a familiarity to the visitors' inability to find a way through. Despite the club spending over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on players in the last three transfer windows, Pochettino suggested last month he would need to look to strengthen once more in order to address the lack of a goal threat. Noni Madueke looked the most likely spark to Chelsea's attack, but he was sacrificed as Pochettino threw on Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja. Raheem Sterling should have been more alive to meet one dangerous low cross from Broja, but that was all Chelsea's vast amount of possession in the final 20 minutes amounted to. Middlesbrough conceded late to lose 1-0 to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. But this time the team that sit 12th in the Championship held out to keep their dreams of a Wembley final against either Liverpool or Fulham very much alive heading into the second leg.

League Cup: Middlesbrough stun Chelsea to take semifinal lead in first leg

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Jurgen Klopp sets sight on ‘special’ League Cup title as Liverpool ready for Chelsea in summit clash

League Cup: Middlesbrough stun Chelsea to take semifinal lead in first leg