Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties yet again to secure Carabao Cup progress

Chelsea must have known their fate as soon as the last 16 tie at Anfield went to penalties. Four times they had faced Liverpool in a penalty shoot-out previously and four times they had lost. Make that five, after Wesley Fofana’s woeful attempt sailed high into the Kop and sent Andoni Iraola’s side into the Carabao Cup quarter finals.

The defender was not the only culprit as Chelsea’s catalogue of penalty misery against Liverpool gained a new chapter to add to the 2007 Champions League semi final, the 2019 Uefa Super Cup final and the FA and League Cup finals of 2022. Emmanuel Emegha could have won it for Xabi Alonso’s visitors but his effort was saved superbly by Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Kostas Tsimikas could also have reprised his match-winning role from Wembley in 2022 but fired over when Liverpool were a kick away from the last eight. Ryan Gravenberch and Valentin Barco also failed to convert in the shoot-out after Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo had both scored penalties in normal time.

Former Liverpool midfielders Alonso and Jordan Henderson received lukewarm receptions on their return to Anfield, certainly in comparison to previous visits with Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid and Brentford. That was the best they could have hoped for given the club they were returning with. The Chelsea manager was warmly embraced before kick-off by his childhood friend Iraola, however, while Henderson had to make do with some pantomime booing whenever he took possession.

Both Basque coaches sprang selection surprises for the last 16 tie, more in terms of positioning than personnel. Lewis Koumas – one of seven changes that Iraola made from Sunday’s win over Brighton – started on the right of Liverpool’s attack withGakpo leading the line. In the absence of the injured João Pedro and the suspended Cole Palmer Alonso deployed the veterans as he sought a reaction to Chelsea’s home defeat by Tottenham. Danny Welbeck being closely supported by a roving Henderson in the number ten role would not have been on anyone’s Chelsea bingo card before this season. There was still no room in the starting line-up for Estêvão, a talent who appears not to fit the Alonso approach.

The Premier League rivals served up a fast-paced, committed cup tie that was just lacking goalmouth incident before they exchanged penalties in the space of four minutes. Koumas picked up an early booking for a challenge on Maxence Lacroix, who caught the Liverpool forward as he attempted to clear his lines and not vice-versa. Rio Ngumoha stirred the home crowd with a few mesmerising runs down the left but the final ball from his teammates was lacking.

Neither goalkeeper had been seriously troubled before Chelsea were awarded the first of two quick-fire spot-kicks. Moisés Caicedo was released inside the Liverpool area by a cleverly disguised pass from Malo Gusto and clipped from behind by Ryan Gravenberch as the pair headed away from goal. The boos for Henderson intensified as he carried the ball to the spot with a wry smile on his face and handed it to Rogers, who sent Mamardashvili the wrong way with an emphatic penalty kick.

Liverpool soon had a spot-kick of their own when Caicedo and Fofana challenged Virgil van Dijk at a Kostas Tsimikas corner and the ball struck the Chelsea defender’s raised hand. Gakpo went low to Mike Penders’s right with his penalty while the Chelsea keeper dived to his left.

The referee, Darren England, called both penalties instantly and correctly, showing officials do not always have to rely on video assistance. The game benefited as a spectacle from the absence of the video assistant referee, although Iraola might well have disagreed had Rogers scored after appearing to control Pedro Neto’s chip with his arm. Mamardashvili’s save spared us that controversy.

Chelsea needed to take control of the contest before Iraola introduced the insurance policy of Liverpool’s big names from the bench. Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola would arrive in the 59th minute with the game still evenly poised and the visitors struggling to break down a resolute home defence. Gusto fuelled the atmosphere by twice collapsing in apparent agony following a touch from Penders, keen to atone for his costly error against Spurs, took centre stage for Chelsea when saving a flying header from Ronald Araujo at close range.

The Liverpool central defender had been supplied by a fine cross from Joe Gomez and, with two defenders pushed forwards, Rogers almost punished them on the counter attack. Gomez, however, worked tirelessly to chase back and block the forward’s eventual shot. Penders also saved impressively from Barcola when the France international cut inside from the right and his low shot was deflected towards the bottom corner.

Rogers was involved in several promising openings for Chelsea as Alonso’s team – improved more than Liverpool by their substitutes – finished strongly. Marco Palestra had the best of them when released by the England forward’s perfectly weighted pass but Mamardashvili produced an excellent save low to his right. Wirtz also had a late chance to seal victory but his attempt from Gakpo’s knock-down struck Levi Colwill and was eventually cleared. And so to penalties, and a familiar feeling for the men from Stamford Bridge.