Liverpool wins Carling Cup on penalties

Liverpool won the Carling Cup final at Wembley, beating Cardiff 3-2 on penalties after the game ended in a 2-2 draw after extra time. The victory ends a 6 year trophy drought for Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool and it was a sad day for the Cardiff side, appearing in their first final.

Cardiff were in the lead at the halfway mark, with a goal from Joe Mason in the 19th minute. Liverpool's Martin Skrtel grabbed an equaliser in the 60th minute and the game remained tied at the final whistle. Dirk Kuyt edged Liverpool ahead in the second half of extra time, and were on the way to a hard fought victory when, with two minutes to go, Cardiff made a last push and were rewarded with a corner. The cross came in and Ben Turner managed to bundle the ball into the back of the net to take the game to penalties.

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam missed their penalties, and Kenny Miller missed for Cardiff. Don Cowie then put Cardiff ahead, followed by an equaliser from Dirk Kuyt. Rudy Gestede then missed for Cardiff, but Peter Whittingham scored their next one after Stuart Downing had converted his. That made it 2-2. Glen Johnson scored Liverpool's fifth penalty and the decisive penalty came down to Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's cousin, Anthony, who failed to score for Cardiff. So Liverpool's first trip to the new Wembley stadium ended in success, taking home their first trophy since their 2006 FA Cup win. It was Kenny Dalglish's first win as a manager, having won the cup four times as a player.