Caballero, who made a dramatic trio of consecutive saves during the penalty shootout, proved to be the right choice for his, soon to be departed, manager Manuel Pellegrini, who preferred the Argentine goalkeeper to their first-choice keeper Joe Hart.
The Citizens’s boss was largely criticised for his selection for the goal-keeping position, particularly after Caballero’s shocking performance in their 5-1 FA Cup loss against Chelsea last Sunday. But the Argentine veteran keeper rewarded the loyalty of his manager; yesterday’s win at Wembley ensured at least one trophy for Pellegrini in his final season, before Pep Guardiola takes over at the helm in the summer.
After a goalless first half, Fernandinho scored an opener for City in the 49th minute - the goal was a punishment for a blunder by Liverpool's keeper Simon Mignolet. However, the Citizens were not able to find the killer second goal; instead Philippe Coutinho scored an equaliser for Liverpool in the 83rd minute of the match. The game went into extra time, but ended a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. The last 30 minutes of the match were more dynamic and City’s keeper Caballero made a world-class save from Belgian Divock Origi’s header, nine minutes before penalties.
In the shootout, Fernandinho hit the post with City's first kick, but Jesús Navas and Sergio Aguero were on target, before Caballero made his stunning saves from Brazilians Lucas, Coutinho and Adam Lallana, allowing Ivorian Yaya Toure to convert the winning spot-kick.
Red's keeper Mignolet showed much of the unpredictability that brings him media criticism, but it seems that he has his manager Jurgen Klopp’s trust.
As the man-of-the-match Vincent Kompany lifted the trophy for the Citizens, Raheem Sterling joined his team’s celebrations with relief; the £49 million pound man knew that if City had lost, the forward, who came from Liverpool in the summer, would have had to shoulder much of the blame with some glaring misses in the second half.
The future is looking good for Pellegrini and his side; this win might kick-start the Premier League and Champions League title challenge as well.
