LIVERPOOL 1 - 1 MAN CITY (1-3 pens)
Willy weeps tears of joy after shoot-out heroics
“It’s amazing”, the goalkeeper repeated after City collected the Capital One Cup. “It is a first trophy for me and for my family in Argentina”
Willy Caballero wept tears of joy on the Wembley pitch after the Manchester City goalkeeper's penalty shoot-out heroics had secured a dramatic League Cup final victory against Liverpool on Sunday. Caballero was City's unlikely hero as he saved spot kicks from Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana to secure a 3-1 shoot-out success after a 1-1 draw that went to extra-time.
The 34-year-old has rarely been in the spotlight in his two seasons with City as he spends most of his time on the bench watching first choice keeper Joe Hart. But, despite criticism of his form this season, City boss Manuel Pellegrini stuck with his tradition of playing Caballero in domestic cup ties and the Argentine repaid him in memorable fashion.
Overcome with emotion after Yaya Touré slotted home the winning penalty, Caballero started to cry before being lifted onto team-mate Wilfried Bony's shoulders and paraded in front of City's jubilant fans. "It's amazing, to win this cup for me it's amazing,' Caballero told Sky Sports. 'It was a hard week for me but we had a talk that we could do it. It is fantastic for the blue people. It's important, emotional for me, my family, to be in this great team. It is a first trophy for me and for my family in Argentina". Revealing he had studied Liverpool's penalty takers on video, Caballero, who has played only 12 times this season, added, "I tried to see all the penalties last night, but my intuition got me through".
Pellegrini said he never considering ditching Caballero despite his troubled form. "I'd rather lose the title than lose my word. A lot of media were waiting to criticise me if Willy Caballero makes a mistake", he said. "I had a lot of trust in Caballero. I am very pleased for all the players and staff but more for him because he deserved it".