Chelsea arrived at Anfield with a history they could not escape, and they left with another chapter of it. Four previous penalty shoot-outs against Liverpool had ended in four defeats, and the fifth followed the same script when Wesley Fofana’s effort sailed high into the Kop to send Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, 6-5 on penalties after a last-16 tie that had finished level.
Fofana was not the only player to falter. Emmanuel Emegha had the chance to win the shoot-out for Xabi Alonso’s side in sudden death but was denied by a superb save from Giorgi Mamardashvili. Liverpool had their own failures with victory in sight: Kostas Tsimikas blazed over, ruining any chance of reprising his match-winning role at Wembley four years earlier, while Ryan Gravenberch and Valentin Barco also failed to convert. It was left to Joe Gomez, a defender who has never scored for Liverpool, to edge his side ahead with the first shoot-out penalty of his Anfield career, finding the top corner of Mike Penders’s goal in convincing style.
Chelsea’s catalogue of misery from 12 yards now includes this tie alongside the 2007 Champions League semi-final, the 2019 Uefa Super Cup final and the FA and League Cup finals of 2022. For Alonso it was another painful evening, coming directly after the home defeat by Tottenham on Saturday, though the Chelsea performance on Merseyside was an improvement on that result.
“For sure it is not the outcome we wanted or expected but once you go to penalties there has to be a sad side,” Alonso said. “We played with courage, the game was close with not many chances for both sides. It is a small setback because it is probably the least important competition for us. As soon as we leave Anfield our focus will be on a very important game [against Manchester United] on Saturday.”
If the Carabao Cup is indeed not a priority for Chelsea this season, Alonso’s decision to again overlook Estêvão, who remained on the bench all evening, was difficult to explain. With João Pedro injured and Cole Palmer suspended, Chelsea started with Danny Welbeck in attack and the former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson operating in an advanced midfield role, and Liverpool contained them relatively comfortably for long spells.
The two Premier League rivals produced a fast-paced, committed cup tie short on goalmouth incident until the penalties arrived within four minutes of each other. Chelsea’s came first, Moisés Caicedo released inside the Liverpool area by a cleverly disguised pass from Malo Gusto and then clipped from behind by Gravenberch. The boos for Henderson intensified as he carried the ball to the spot with a wry smile and handed it to Rogers, who sent Mamardashvili the wrong way. Liverpool’s response came when Caicedo and Fofana challenged Virgil van Dijk at a Tsimikas corner and the ball struck the Chelsea defender’s raised hand; Gakpo converted confidently into the bottom corner. The referee, Darren England, awarded both instantly and correctly, and the game benefited as a spectacle from the absence of a video assistant referee. Iraola might have felt differently had Rogers scored after appearing to control Pedro Neto’s chip with his arm, but Mamardashvili’s save meant the controversy was avoided.
Both goalkeepers had their moments. Penders, keen to atone for his costly error against Spurs, saved a flying header from Ronald Araújo at close range after a fine cross from Gomez, and later denied Bradley Barcola when the France international cut inside from the right and his low, deflected shot headed towards the bottom corner. At the other end Mamardashvili produced an excellent save low to his right to keep out Marco Palestra’s effort after the Chelsea substitute was released by a perfectly weighted Rogers pass. Rogers was involved in several promising openings as Alonso’s team, improved more than Liverpool by their substitutions, finished strongly, and Wirtz had a late chance to settle it but his attempt from a Gakpo knock-down struck Levi Colwill and was cleared.
Iraola was left savouring both the result and the mood around his squad. “I’m pleased for the players because they put in a big effort tonight,” he said. “I can feel [togetherness within the squad] and I’m happy to feel it because it is very important. The players are feeling support from the crowd and now we have another big one on Sunday [against Arsenal] so let’s try to finish this four in a row in the best way.”
The quarter-final draw sends Liverpool to a meeting with Bournemouth, Iraola’s old club. Fleetwood will host either Everton or Newcastle, Manchester City face Bradford City and Crystal Palace take on Sunderland, with all ties scheduled for the week commencing 14 December.