Mauricio Pochettino draws another comparison to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool as he defends Chelsea 'project' after Carabao Cup final defeat

The Reds rode on Virgil van Dijk's solitary strike in extra-time to beat Chelsea and lift their maiden title of the season on Sunday. Despite losing in the final, Blues boss Pochettino continued to defend his 'Chelsea project' as he drew comparisons to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.

The Argentine pointed out that even Klopp took two years to deliver the Reds their first major trophy which was the Champions League in the 2018/19 season. Before that, the Merseyside club had reached the finals of the Europa League and Champions League but had failed to win the titles.

Speaking to Chelseafc.com after the match, Pochettino said, "They are professional. Now we need to move forward, but they need to feel the pain. When you're playing for a trophy, nothing you can say will make them feel better. They need to realise that we need to work, we need to do things better and improve. To compete at this level, you need to feel what it means to play for a big trophy.

"I remember that after three or four years [under Jurgen Klopp] Liverpool had lost the Europa League final and lost the Champions League final. But they kept believing in their project and got stronger each season until they got what they wanted. That is a good example and if we want to challenge a team like Liverpool, we need to keep believing, that is the most important thing."

The Blues will be next seen in action in the FA Cup on Wednesday against Leeds United before facing Brentford on Saturday in the Premier League.