Darwin Nunez celebrates Liverpool winner against Chelsea at Wembley in emphatic fashion despite injury, video goes viral

Darwin Nunez alleviated fears over the seriousness of his injury after he was seen celebrating Liverpool's winner in an emphatic manner in the 2023-24 EFL Cup final against Chelsea.

The Reds, who were without 11 first-team stars at Wembley this Sunday (February 25), lifted their record-extending 10th EFL Cup trophy with a 1-0 win over Chelsea. Virgil van Dijk converted Kostas Tsimikas' 118th-minute corner, keeping his team's quadruple hopes alive.

Following the Liverpool captain's decisive header in the final moments of the clash, Nunez raced to the pitch despite his injury. He was seen barging past Curtis Jones before leaping over a gate to celebrate with his Reds teammates and his coaching staff on the touchline.

At a post-game press conference, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp was asked to shed light on the injured pair Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai's respective celebrations in the final. He replied (h/t Echo):

"Some weren't allowed to come here from our squad but so many were involved in the celebrations. Darwin and Dom are not fit at the moment and that's why they didn't play, but the celebration looked at 100%, let me put it like this. So, we will have to talk about that with the medical department!"

Nunez, who picked up his muscle issue in a recent 4-1 league victory at Brentford, has scored 13 goals in 37 matches, including 23 starts, across all competitions this season. The Uruguayan has also provided 11 assists in 2,147 minutes of action for Liverpool this campaign.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino reacts to Blues' EFL Cup final loss against Liverpool

After the Reds' 1-0 win in the EFL Cup final, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino rued his side's missed chances throughout the contest at Wembley. He elaborated (h/t The Independent):

"We created four, five, six big chances and we didn't score. In a game like today and in a final to score first, it is a big advantage. We didn't score and that is a bit of a problem. We conceded in the last minute and it is difficult to react."

Claiming that Chelsea will learn from their mistakes, Pochettino added:

"They [the players] are professional, they need to feel the pain. We played for a trophy we didn't get. They need to feel the pain like us. The players feel the disappointment because we were so close to winning the game after 90 minutes. We need to take positive things, need to push, use this type of game to learn and be better."

Chelsea, who are 11th in the Premier League table with 35 points from 25 outings, relished 46% possession against Liverpool. They completed 468 passes with 80% accuracy and registered 19 shots in the final.

Liverpool, on the other hand, dominated the EFL Cup final with 579 passes with an accuracy of 84%. They kept Blues' Djordje Petrovic busy with 24 shots even with a number of teenagers on the pitch at full-time.