As soon as Klopp's interview ended, the reporter hurried over to find captain Gerrard and Julien.
The reporter held the microphone out to Gerrard first. "Steven, congratulations on the title. As captain, you led the team through the pressure tonight—how are you feeling right now?"
Gerrard smiled. "Thrilled, and proud. Winning always feels good.
This is the product of the whole squad's effort, every single one of my teammates gave everything they had. We showed the world the Liverpool spirit.
This trophy is the reward for our hard work, and I want to thank the fans for sticking with us every step of the way. From here, we keep moving forward, toward bigger targets."
Once the brief interview with Gerrard was done, the reporter turned at once to Julien beside him. "Julien, tonight you controlled the match with two goals and an assist—the nickname 'the Conqueror' is clearly well earned. Now that you've won your first trophy since arriving in the Premier League, what would you like to say?"
Julien gave a small nod. "First, thanks to the manager for trusting me, and to my teammates for working with me out there. As for the trophy itself, of course I'm happy. But what I really want to say is this: this is our first title of the season. It is absolutely not going to be our last!"
Gerrard's eyes lit up at the words.
He liked that about Julien.
Quiet most of the time.
But never short on confidence.
Thinking back on what Julien had done in Ligue 1, Gerrard found himself even more excited about Liverpool's future.
He wanted to see just how far this young man could carry the club.
Maybe... just maybe...
When the brief interviews ended, the trophy ceremony music was still swelling through Wembley.
Staff and presentation guests climbed onto the stage first set at the heart of the stand, already ringed by layer upon layer of fans in red.
The players would walk the dedicated tunnel to the stage to collect their medals and celebrate.
The runners-up medals were handed out first.
The Manchester City players walked the tunnel with their heads down, faces showed dejection, passing the thin lines of blue-clad fans on either side as they climbed, step by step, onto the stage.
Each of them simply accepted his runner-up medal in silence and slipped it over his neck in a hurry.
Some didn't even glance down at it, eyes full of frustration. No one wants a runner-up medal.
The world only remembers the champions—never who finished second.
In their hearts, the match felt like such a waste—one step from turning it around, only to end in regret.
As captain, Kompany took his medal and ran his fingers lightly along its edge, his face showing no joy at all, only a deep self-reproach. Walking down off the stage, he glanced back once at the champions' trophy sitting quietly in its place, and shook his head, helpless.
Once every City player had collected his medal right away, the music in the stadium surged louder than ever!
The DJ's voice rang out: "2013/14 League Cup champions—LIVERPOOL!!!"
The instant the words landed, the Liverpool fans in the stands erupted completely.
"Liverpool forever!"
"Champions! Champions!"
The roar nearly swallowed the stage whole, and every step the players took was carried on a wave of frenzied cheering.
The Liverpool players passed through the cheering fans on both side, climbing step by step onto the stage.
Fans along the tunnel reached out to slap hands with them, shouting their support.
The roar at close range was deafening.
When Klopp took his medal, smiling, he held it high and waved to the fans all around, the joy was still plain on his face. This was the first trophy he'd won since taking charge of Liverpool and he wanted more.
After him, the players came forward one by one—De Bruyne, Sterling, Van Dijk, and the rest each kissing his medal after receiving it, then raising their arms high to answer the fans around him.
The cheering rose to a fresh peak with every player who stepped up.
When Julien stepped onto the stage, the cheering jumped to a small peak of its own.
Fans up close shouted his name, shouted " Julien The Conqueror!" Some reached out as he passed, wanting just to touch the gifted young player.
Julien met hands with them, walking up to the stage on a wave of cheers.
Then, calmly, he took his medal and slipped it over his neck before raising his arms high to wave to the fans all around.
The cheering grew even more frenzied.
While the ceremony went on, in one of Wembley's VIP boxes, Dein and Abdullah stood side by side, eyes focused on the stage.
They were no less excited.
Abdullah's eyes burned as he said to Dein, "David, look at this. This is a historic moment."
Dein nodded slightly. "Yes. This is the success of our project and the start of Liverpool rising again."
Abdullah felt his chest fill with ambition. "This isn't just a League Cup. It's a signal. I want Liverpool's history to begin, truly, from this very moment.
We've invested everything we have so that Liverpool can stand on top of Europe again, so the red faith can spread across the whole world. The Premier League, the Champions League—we're going after both. We're going to make Liverpool one of the greatest clubs of this era!"
In that moment, what he saw wasn't just the trophy in front of him, but the limitless possibility of Liverpool's future.
That was where his confidence came from.
They had the best players, the best manager, and more money than anyone else.
In the world of football, that combination was simply unbeatable.
A flicker of emotion crossed Dein's eyes, and he nodded firmly. "It will happen. It will."
The two men exchanged a smile, then turned their eyes back to the stage.
Now, the most thrilling moment of all was about to arrive.
Every Liverpool player had his medal. They stood shoulder to shoulder on the stage, surrounded on all sides by frenzied fans, the cheering never letting up.
Last of all—
Gerrard took the trophy in both hands. He drew a deep breath, turned slowly to face the sea of red fans around him and the teammates standing shoulder to shoulder at his side, and lifted the trophy—the symbol of glory high above his head.
The instant it went up, the whole stadium's celebration hit its peak.
BOOM!
BOOM-BOOM!!
Cheers, shouts, the stadium music, fireworks bursting overhead, the Liverpool anthem countless sounds wove together into one.
It echoed through every corner of Wembley, rising to split the sky.
Time seemed to stop.
Countless cameras froze the image of Gerrard on the stage, the trophy held high.
He stood there in his red shirt, the captain's armband on his sleeve, the trophy gleaming under the lights, his teammates celebrating beside him, fans in red roaring all around, every face lit with joy.
The Manchester City players walked out through the stadium tunnel in silence; heads low.
After Gerrard raised the trophy, Martin Tyler offered his own reflection.
"Tonight, Liverpool haven't just lifted the League Cup, they've landed a psychological blow on Manchester City that may prove fatal. The dominance Liverpool have shown in the Premier League this season has been staggering. Beating Arsenal, beating City, winning one big match after another, sitting top of the table the whole way—no other team has managed to stay this consistent, this strong.
Fans might ask, who's left to stop Liverpool now? Who can shake them off the top of the table?
Honestly, looking across the whole Premier League, the only team that's beaten this Liverpool side is Chelsea. And that's one of the very few losses Liverpool have suffered all season. But truthfully, even though Chelsea have beaten them once, stopping them again now would be enormously difficult.
Just look at what they did tonight—Julien single-handedly dictated the match. This team has hit its peak form. Whether it's the firepower up front, the solidity at the back, the form of their key players, or the chemistry across the whole squad, Liverpool look every bit like champions. You could even say they're the closest thing to a perfect team in the Premier League this season.
Let's take stock of the league picture this season: after Liverpool tore Arsenal apart, Arsenal's title charge lost most of its momentum, and the gap on the table has only grown—they're hardly a threat to Liverpool anymore.
City have lost again tonight, their morale's dented, and with their squad rotation issues, catching the league-leading Liverpool looks close to impossible. Spurs, United, and the rest have been inconsistent all season, never able to build any real sustained push for the title, they're little more than also-rans now..."
As the ceremony drew to a close, Martin Tyler finished with one last line: "We have every reason to believe this League Cup is only the beginning of Liverpool's season."
Once the ceremony ended, the Liverpool players let themselves enjoy the win at Wembley to the fullest.
They mingled with the fans, pulling out their phones to capture the moment.
Julien shared it with his family, everyone was gathering around the trophy for photos to remember it by.
Eventually, the noise settled.
The players headed back to the locker room to keep the celebration going.
Gerrard carried the trophy in and set it carefully on the table at the centre of the locker room, where it gleamed under the lights, drawing every eye in the room.
"Lads, we did it!" Gerrard turned around with a bright smile on his face. "This trophy belongs to every one of us. It belongs to Liverpool!"
"The captain's right!" Sterling was the first to jump up, throwing an arm around De Bruyne beside him. "Especially Julien, my God, you were unreal tonight! Right, Kevin?"
He gave De Bruyne a playful shake as he said it.
De Bruyne just laughed and nodded.
Julien laughed it off. "Stop teasing me. Without all of you working with me out there, I couldn't have done a thing on my own. This is everyone's glory."
He paused, his eyes drifting to the trophy on the table, and his voice rose a little. "And besidesm, this is only our first title of the season. Like I said before, it's definitely not going to be the last!"
"Well said!" Klopp pushed the door open, a broad smile on his face. "What Julien just said is exactly what's in my heart too. The League Cup was our first step. From here, we have one target left, the Premier League title!"
Klopp's words lit a fire under the whole room.
The players threw their hands up, cheering, shouting over and over, "Premier League title! Premier League title!"
The celebrations at Wembley would eventually end, the red tide slowly receding, the cheers and shouts fading into the London night.
But the heat around Liverpool's title showed no sign of cooling at all.
By nightfall, the English media was already in a frenzy. Established sports papers, mainstream broadcasters, online outlets, every one of them was fixed on a single story: Liverpool had beaten Manchester City 3-1 to claim the 2013/14 League Cup.
This unstoppable Liverpool side had used one trophy to set English football alight.
The next morning, after a night of momentum building, the front pages of England's major papers were swept almost entirely red.
The New Times gave the final a full-page spread: "This was no ordinary cup final, it was a flawless display of Liverpool's dominance. From a 2-0 lead clawed back to one goal, to Julien's assist setting up Sturridge to seal it, the Reds beat their toughest opponent on resilience and quality alike. This trophy is the clearest proof of their strong form all season, and the solid foundation for their push toward the Premier League title."
The article gave special attention to Julien's stunning performance. "'Julien The Conqueror' lives up to the name. This young man, who tore through Ligue 1 before arriving here, single-handedly shaped the outcome of the final with two goals and an assist. His talent, his composure, his explosiveness, he's already left players his own age far behind. No, more than that: he is, right now, the best forward in the Premier League.
From running rampant in Ligue 1 to taking the Premier League by storm, Julien is conquering every pitch he steps onto with his own two feet and conquering every English fan along with it. He is Liverpool's biggest surprise of the season, and the most reliable pillar of the Reds' title charge."
Other outlets covered the match from every conceivable angle. Some focused on what it meant for the Premier League title race. Others broke down every goal in detail, analysing Julien's impact on the team from every direction.
One put it bluntly:
"Julien's influence on this match goes far beyond what three goals alone can capture!"
On social media, hashtags like #LiverpoolLeagueCupChampions, #JulienTheConqueror, and #RedsChaseThePremierLeague spread rapidly, the discussion count climbing fast.
One fan posted a photo of Gerrard hoisting the trophy, captioned: "This moment belongs to Liverpool. It belongs to the red faith."
It sparked discussion after discussion, every thread filled with comments from Liverpool fans.
And yet, after a night of celebration, the following afternoon found every player back at the Melwood training ground, gathering as usual for training.
No one was still lost in the glow of the League Cup win.
Klopp had given the squad only half a day off before calling the whole team back together to prepare for their next match, three days away.
Everyone understood: the League Cup was already in the past.
What remained were just two goals: the FA Cup, and, most important of all, the Premier League title!!
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