Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final ended in bitter disappointment, but the real shock came after the match, as new manager Arne Slot delivered a brutal assessment of goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher’s performance.
The Reds suffered a painful defeat to Newcastle at Wembley, and Kelleher—who was given a rare start in goal—produced a nightmare performance that proved costly. A furious Slot reportedly did not hold back in the dressing room, later telling the media:
“I, Arne Slot, made the biggest mistake of my coaching career by starting him. I wanted to believe in him, to trust that he could still deliver—but he let me down in the worst way possible. He wasn’t just bad; he was the reason we lost. A total match killer. That game was his last chance, and he blew it. There’s no coming back from this. His time at this club is over—I won’t tolerate his failures any longer.”
Kelleher, who has been Liverpool’s backup goalkeeper for years, was trusted with the responsibility in a major final—a decision Slot now deeply regrets. Newcastle ruthlessly exposed his weaknesses, and Liverpool’s hopes of securing silverware crumbled as a result.
However, Slot’s harsh words have divided opinion, with many Liverpool fans questioning why he even took such a risk in a final of this magnitude.
“Why blame Kelleher when it was Slot’s decision to start him?” one fan fumed on social media.
“This is scapegoating at its worst. Kelleher didn’t pick himself. The manager made the call and now he’s throwing him under the bus,” another supporter wrote.
The fallout from this defeat is already causing shockwaves at Anfield. With Slot’s ruthless verdict seemingly sealing Kelleher’s fate, the Irish goalkeeper could now be on his way out of Liverpool. But is this truly fair—or has the manager just made another huge mistake?
