Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time at Anfield, booking a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Andoni Iraola’s former side Bournemouth. Wesley Fofana missed the decisive spot kick in front of the Kop.
Fofana’s handball had gifted Liverpool their equaliser from the spot. After Giorgi Mamardashvili denied Chelsea debutant Emmanuel Emegha, Fofana scooped his own penalty into the Kop.
Valentin Barco, another substitute, also missed his spot kick, sending his effort onto the post. Ryan Gravenberch was thwarted by Mike Penders, and Kostas Tsimikas fired over to keep the shoot-out going. Joe Gomez then capitalised on Emegha’s miss, and Fofana fired over to finish it.
Two penalties decide a cagey first half
Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo both converted from the spot within three minutes of each other, bursting a quiet first half into life before the break. Rogers scored in the 40th minute and Gakpo in the 43rd.
Both penalties were needlessly conceded. Gravenberch fouled Moises Caicedo as Caicedo ran away from goal, and Fofana then raised his hand to touch a Tsimikas corner.
Both sides had chances to win it in the second half. Penders saved from substitute Bradley Barcola and Ronald Araujo, while Mamardashvili denied Rogers and Chelsea substitute Marco Palestra. Neither side could be separated.
Youngsters shine for Liverpool
Chelsea named a strong starting line-up, but Iraola included four youngsters: Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas. The visitors could not make their greater experience count.
The win gives Liverpool five straight victories in all competitions. For Chelsea, it is a second consecutive defeat, following their Premier League loss to Spurs. Chelsea also lost defender Maxence Lacroix to an apparent hamstring injury in the first half. Levi Colwill replaced him. Chelsea have now lost five straight penalty shootouts against Liverpool.
Managers react
Iraola said: “I think it was quite a level game. Very competitive, not a lot of chances for both teams. There were moments for us, moments for them.
“We are really happy with the performances of a lot of the players and obviously happy to finish on the right end of the penalty shoot-out because it gave us the chance to be in the draw.”
On his young starters, he added: “I think they did a good job. I think they deserved the right to play because they were also very good against Spurs in the last round. We told them, they are first-team players and we are confident if they have to play. They showed us they had a very good level and they helped us a lot.”
On the winning run, Iraola said: “It’s three in a row at home which is very important. We were struggling a little bit at home. Now we have the confidence of winning three in a row and now we have the biggest one against Arsenal on Sunday.”
Alonso took a different view of the defeat: “That’s it with penalties, someone will go home feeling it was harsh to go out. But we saw a proper cup game, intense and really close. Then penalties are open for everything.
“We performed with enough level to compete at Anfield. After scoring the first goal we unluckily conceded the penalty. The game was really close from both sides.”
He praised Penders as well: “It was a solid performance. We didn’t concede many chances so he didn’t have to work a lot but he was quite stable and solid. That was very important.”
Alonso concluded: “I saw a team competing and showing a good level. This is the least important competition for us and now the focus is on the Premier League.”
Key moments at Anfield
- 40: Rogers buries his penalty after Gravenberch’s rash foul on Caicedo.
- 43: Gakpo slams home from the spot after Fofana’s strange handball.
- 45+1: Lacroix is replaced by Colwill after appearing to pull his hamstring.
- 48: Rogers threatens a second, but Mamardashvili saves his shot.
- 61: Penders makes a point-blank save from Araujo.
- 65: Penders denies Barcola.
- 68: Emegha comes off the bench for his Chelsea debut.
- 78: Mamardashvili stops Palestra’s low shot after good work from Rogers.
- 80: Wirtz fails to convert from close range.
- Shoot-out: Fofana’s skied effort means defeat for Chelsea.
Quarter-final draw
- Fleetwood vs Everton/Newcastle
- Manchester City vs Bradford
- Crystal Palace vs Sunderland
- Liverpool vs Bournemouth
The quarter-final ties will take place in the week commencing December 14.