Henderson on "Satisfaction" of League Cup Triumph Ahead of Derby Match

With the football calendar stuffed to bursting with Premier League and Champions League football plus the FA Cup and countless international commitments for the game's top players, at times it can be easy to think of the League Cup as something of an afterthought.

England's second cup competition has a rich history, and Liverpool in particular have had plenty of success in it, but the reality is that it falls somewhere down the pecking order. Or at least it does until the game kicks off and it becomes just as important as any other for the players and fans.

"After winning the trophy last season, this is a competition that means a great deal to everyone involved with Liverpool," reflected captain Jordan Henderson. "So it is great to be able to participate in it once again.

“The fact that we won the cup earlier this year speaks for itself. As captain, I was fortunate to be given the honour to lift the trophy and that is something which will live with me forever."

On paper, Liverpool should be heavily favoured on their 2022-23 League Cup bow against League One side Derby tonight, but with rotation likely and a motivated opponent there's always the chance of an upset and whoever starts for the Reds will need to be sharp and play their best games.

"If you go through each round from last season, everywhere you looked there was someone different making a contribution," Henderson added. "From young players to senior professionals and everyone in between. That’s why it gave all of us so much satisfaction.

“In a hectic fixture schedule we took the opportunity to give young players valuable experience at the highest level. When the time was right and the situation demanded it, the manager brought in more senior players. In each and every round we played with one aim and that was to get through to the next one."

Tonight against Derby they will do the same, seeking to build on positive results against Tottenham in the league and Napoli in Europe before facing Southampton in the final game before English football breaks for the World Cup.