Chelsea meet Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final on February 25 for the second time in three seasons. The final is Mauricio Pochettino’s first with Chelsea whilst his opposite number, Jurgen Klopp, has reached Wembley in this competition three times.
Last Word on Football looks at how the two managers have fared against each other in the past.
Carabao Cup Final: Klopp v Pochettino Head to Head
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First Meeting
The first meeting between Pochettino and Klopp was actually the latter’s first-ever match in charge of Liverpool.
The Reds travelled to the home of Tottenham Hotspur, where Pochettino was manager, in October 2015 with a strong Spurs side certainly favourites to win the game.
The result was a dire 0-0 but the impact Klopp was already having on his new Liverpool side was evident with the Reds immediately demonstrating the high-pressing game that their new manager demanded of them.
The return fixture at Anfield later in the season would also end in a draw, finishing 1-1, as would the next meeting at White Hart Lane the following season.
First Wins for Klopp and Pochettino
After the three draws in the first three games between Pochettino’s Spurs and Klopp’s Liverpool, the German was beginning to get the upper hand.
The Reds won a fourth-round Carabao Cup tie in 2016 2-1 while they also won the home league fixture in February of the same year.
The following season saw Liverpool travel to Spurs early in the campaign again, this time to Wembley where the North London club were playing whilst waiting for the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to be built.
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The result would be Pochettino’s first and only win against Klopp to date as Spurs, and in particular Harry Kane, ran Liverpool ragged. It was so bad for Liverpool that Klopp decided to hook defender Dejan Lovren in the 31st minute as the home side ended as 4-1 winners.
The Mersyesiders had arrived into the game in a miserable run of form, having won just one of their previous six in the league including being on the end of a 5-0 thumping from Manchester City. The result at Tottenham prompted some to question if Klopp was the right man to take Liverpool forward however they followed the defeat at Wembley with an 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions. To this day, some feel that game was a turning point in Klopp’s Liverpool reign.
Late Drama
Two of the next three meetings between the sides would bring late drama. The 2-2 draw at Anfield in February 2018 saw Mohamed Salah score a wonderful solo goal in the 91st minute that looked like it had won the game for the home side, only for Spurs to get a highly disputable penalty which Harry Kane dispatched in the 95th.
The next fixture at the beginning of the 2018/19 season saw the Reds get their first away win at Spurs under Klopp, winning 2-1, whilst the return match ended in the same scoreline but relied on a Toby Alderweireld 90th-minute own goal to seal the win for Liverpool.
Champions League Final
The most famous meeting of these two managers, and the only other time they have met in a final, was in the Champions League in 2019.
Both sides had overcome precarious positions in their respective semi-finals. Liverpool reversed their 3-0 first-leg deficit to Barcelona to win the tie 4-3 whilst Spurs had late drama in Amsterdam after a last-minute goal from Lucas Moura made it 3-3 on aggregate against Ajax and put the London club through to the final on away goals.
Pochettino’s side were coming towards the end of their cycle by this point whilst Klopp’s were entering their peak. Liverpool had the added advantage of having played in the final the year before, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid and played the game like a side who knew how to handle the big occasion.
The Reds took an early lead in the game through a Mohamed Salah penalty, which is still hotly debated to this day with many fans thinking the handball given against Moussa Sissoko was harsh. The game was sealed in the 87th minute with a strike from Reds cult hero, Divock Origi, to give Klopp his first trophy as Liverpool manager.
Klopp and Pochettino’s Rivalries Renewed
The next meeting between the sides saw Liverpool win 2-1 in a league game at Anfield on route to winning their first Premier League title.
Less than a month after that game, Pochettino was sacked by Tottenham and the two managers wouldn’t meet until the beginning of the current season.
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The Argentinian’s first competitive game as Chelsea manager would pit him against Klopp once more when the Merseyside club travelled to Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the campaign. The Reds opened the scoring through Luis Diaz before Axel Disasi equalised to take a point for Chelsea.
The Blues came out of that game with more credit than Liverpool and many expected much more from Pochettino’s men than what we’ve come to see this season.
The most recent meeting between the sides was the league game at Anfield in January where the Reds ran out comfortable 4-1 winners.
Klopp Pochettino All-Time Head-to-Head Record
Pochettino Wins: One
Draws: Five
Klopp Wins: Seven
