Even as the penalties were being dispatched, this match decided by the finest of margins, Henry and Werner must have mused on how much the club has advanced since their last domestic final loss in 2016. Back then they were plucky in defeat on penalties to Manchester City. 

There was some symmetry of winning on spot-kicks this time. Since then, Liverpool have made a healthy habit of yielding the returns of physical, intellectual and emotional as well as economic investment.

Caoimhin Keller’s role in the win spoke to that. How many other coaches would have trusted a 23-year-old in a final ahead of one of the world’s best goalkeepers? Klopp himself said there should be room for “sentiment”, even in professional football.

It is because of Klopp’s man-management as well as extraordinary coaching skills Liverpool have evolved exactly as Henry vowed upon his 2010 takeover when incrementally matching and eclipsing a club of Chelsea wealth looked night on impossible.

There are so many examples of the shrewdness of their model. The signing of Luis Diaz is the most recent. Liverpool have spent well at the right times.

Among the chief reasons there is a feeling this could be a special season at Anfield in their ongoing pursuit of four trophies is the excitement sparked by Diaz’s arrival.

When compiling a list of Liverpool’s greatest January transfers, Virgil Van Dijk has found himself in a tussle with Luis 

Suarez. Should he maintain this pace, Diaz will join that conversation. Never let it be said that Diaz hit the ground running when he signed for Liverpool. He hit the ground sprinting.

These remain thrilling early days for the Colombian. Nevertheless, his cup final performance underlined what Premier League defenders know. He is a nightmare to deal with.

During his team’s more difficult Wembley moments – those minutes when a penalty shoot-out was in the distant future – it was the Colombian who cut a dash towards the blue shirts, consistently forcing Trevoh Chalobah into such retreat he was appealing for help. 

In the early moments of extra-time, three Chelsea defenders were needed to crowd Diaz out of possession. He ran out of steam and was replaced by Divock Origi shortly after – Klopp calculating Diaz had run himself and Chelsea’s defenders into exhaustion. It was no coincidence that no sooner had he departed Liverpool went through a prolonged period of readjustment as the game drifted towards the inevitability of a penalty shoot-out.