Liverpool knock Chelsea out on penalties to reach Carabao Cup quarter-finals

Liverpool secured a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 6-5 victory over Chelsea on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Wesley Fofana's wayward effort into the Kop ended a difficult night for the French centre-back, who had already conceded the first-half penalty that allowed Liverpool to level.

• Liverpool and Chelsea drew 1-1 at Anfield with two penalties scored in quick succession during the first half.
• The shootout finished 6-5 and Fofana sent the decisive kick over the bar and into the stands.
• Joe Gomez, who had never scored in regulation time during a decade at Liverpool, converted one of the key penalties.
• Chelsea have now lost all five penalty shootouts they have played against Liverpool.
• Xabi Alonso's Chelsea side missed the chance to fight for silverware in a season without European football.

How Liverpool won the penalty shootout against Chelsea

The tie was settled in a long and tense shootout. There were no saves in the first twelve attempts, with Alexis Mac Allister, Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola all scoring. The first major shift came when Valentin Barco hit the post.

Kostas Tsimikas, the hero of the 2022 FA Cup final shootout, had the chance to repeat that achievement but skied his effort into the Kop. From that point the shootout effectively became sudden death. Jordan Henderson, who was booed by Liverpool supporters during the match, kept his composure to score.

The drama continued until the very end. Mike Penders saved from Ryan Gravenberch and Giorgi Mamardashvili stopped Emmanuel Emegha's attempt. Fofana's miss then confirmed Liverpool's progression and gave them a third elimination of Chelsea in the last six editions of the competition.

Two penalties and few chances during the 90 minutes

Penalties defined the match long before the shootout began. Both goals came from the spot within a few minutes of each other, and both came from avoidable mistakes. First, Ryan Gravenberch ploughed through Moises Caicedo and Morgan Rogers converted the penalty. Chelsea had taken the lead with Cole Palmer suspended after his red card against Tottenham, which opened the door for Rogers on spot-kick duty.

Liverpool's equaliser also came from a penalty, this one conceded by Fofana after his hand touched the ball while trying to stop Virgil van Dijk from meeting a Tsimikas corner. Cody Gakpo, not usually among the first-choice takers, drilled his shot home to make it 1-1.

Penders and Mamardashvili produce key saves

Both goalkeepers played important roles during regulation time. Mike Penders, coming off a difficult outing against Tottenham, made a brilliant save to deny Ronald Araujo's header and also stopped a Bradley Barcola effort. At the other end, Giorgi Mamardashvili prevented Marco Palestra from scoring his first Chelsea goal after a pass from Morgan Rogers.

The draw after 90 minutes was a fair reflection of the contest. It was a game with few clear-cut chances, partly because of the tactical approach from both managers and partly because of key absences in attacking areas.

Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield with a familiar setup

Xabi Alonso's return to Anfield carried echoes of his past. As a Liverpool player he won the Champions League and the FA Cup on penalties, and he scored in a shootout against Chelsea during the 2007 Champions League semi-finals. In his third visit as a manager, this time with Chelsea, he finally saw one of his teams score at the stadium.

The Spanish coach used a 4-4-1-1 formation to match Iraola's system, a setup that brought back memories of Rafa Benitez's Liverpool teams of two decades ago. The Anfield crowd also paid tribute to Luis Garcia, another hero of 2005. Henderson received a very different reception: the former Liverpool captain, now at Chelsea, was booed throughout and played in an advanced role as a number 10 in Palmer's absence.

Injuries and suspensions limit both attacks

Both teams arrived with significant absences in attacking positions. Chelsea were without the injured Joao Pedro and the suspended Cole Palmer, leaving them with just one of their usual first-choice front three available. Liverpool kept their three biggest signings on the bench, three players around the 100 million pound mark each, in a substitute list worth more than half a billion.

That lack of firepower showed in a first half with very little attacking threat. The first clear chance in open play fell to Gakpo just before half-time, with Penders making the save. Iraola eventually turned to Barcola and Wirtz for the final half-hour. The German, who excelled under Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, scored his penalty in the shootout, but it was not enough for a Chelsea side that missed three of their spot-kicks.