James Milner told Alan Shearer what he’d do to win the FA Cup and delivered on it for Liverpool as they beat Chelsea. The Reds have their first since 2006.
Liverpool repeated their EFL Cup heroics at Wembley as they beat Chelsea to win their first FA Cup for 16 years. Much like the previous final, neither Red nor Blue could find a route to goal across 120 minutes.
Both teams played well but exhausted legs led to a slower and slower game. Eventually, penalties were the answer.
Kostas Tsimikas ended up being the hero, along with Alisson Becker, but the Reds showed off some fantastic penalties here. First up, though, was James Milner.
The vice-captain stepped up and just about cleared Edouard Mendy to score first for Liverpool. It’s exactly what he did back in February and exactly, it should be said, what he promised to do ahead of the FA Cup final.
Alan Shearer interviewed James Milner for the Athletic where a conversation about the first spot-kick came up. Shearer wanted to know if Milner, were the on the pitch, was ready to step up again.
“Yeah,” said Milner. “Hopefully it doesn’t happen but yeah, I’ll be there.”
James Milner delivers in FA Cup final
What will Liverpool do without Milner? His contract is actually up this summer and is yet to agree on a new one. The veteran midfielder could well leave Anfield after seven glorious years.
We really, really hope that doesn’t happen. Milner showed his incredible value at Wembley, coming on to inject some life and experience into a game where Liverpool continued to fade. The fact he stepped up to set the tone in the shoot-out only shows his value more.
Klopp clearly trusts him and rightfully so. After this, Milner will surely get at least one more year in Red. He certainly deserves it.
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