Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that he is proud of his players despite losing the Carabao Cup final to Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday, February 25, 2024.

Providing insights into the game, Pochettino, who had expressed his desire to win the trophy with Chelsea slightly over a month ago, said he was pleased with the effort his players put in despite the result not going their way.

“I’m happy with the effort. The players are professional. They are very competitive, and now we need to move forward,” the Argentinian manager.

Liverpool managed to win the Carabao Cup with a makeshift squad following a string of injuries in their first team.

Dutch center-back Virgil Van Dijk, who had a goal chalked off in regulation time, popped up with another at the tail end of extra time to settle the low-scoring final.

The 1-0 defeat meant that Chelsea had lost six successive domestic cup finals. The Blues lost the League Cup final in 2019, 2022, and 2024. They also lost the FA Cup in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

I am desperate to win a title – Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino

A month ago, Pochettino said he was desperate to win a title with the London club, which would be his first silverware in England. This comes after he guided the club to the Carabao Cup final.

Pochettino spent six years in England from 2013 to 2019, managing Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, but he did not win any silverware during that time.

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“I’m desperate to win a title here. In one year and a half in Paris, we won three trophies, and we want to win one here. I’m desperate to win, of course,” said the former Paris Saint-Germain boss.

He came close twice with Spurs, finishing as runners-up in the Carabao Cup (2014-15) and the Champions League (2018-19).