By OkayGoal
Liverpool are into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after beating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties at Anfield, and the man who decided it was a Chelsea defender: Wesley Fofana gave away a penalty in normal time and then blazed the decisive kick over the bar.
The game finished 1-1 after Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo scored from the spot within three minutes of each other just before half-time. The shootout went to eight rounds, with five of the last nine kicks missed, before Joe Gomez scored and Fofana sent his effort high over the bar.
For Andoni Iraola, it was a night when a much-changed side survived without ever really clicking. For Xabi Alonso, it was a cup exit that leaves Chelsea with a lot to think about before they host Manchester United on Saturday.
Liverpool vs Chelsea penalties: how the shootout unfolded
The first seven penalties all went in, Florian Wirtz included, before the shootout turned into a test of nerve. Valentín Barco hit the post for Chelsea, but Kostas Tsimikas then put Liverpool’s fifth kick over the bar, and Jordan Henderson, booed by the Anfield crowd earlier in the night, coolly took it to sudden death.
| Round | Liverpool | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mac Allister, scored | Neto, scored |
| 2 | Isak, scored | Rogers, scored |
| 3 | Gakpo, scored | Lavia, scored |
| 4 | Wirtz, scored | Barco, hit the post |
| 5 | Tsimikas, over the bar | Henderson, scored |
| 6 | Barcola, scored | Colwill, scored |
| 7 | Gravenberch, saved by Penders | Emegha, saved by Mamardashvili |
| 8 | Gomez, scored | Fofana, over the bar |
Mike Penders saved from Ryan Gravenberch in the seventh round to hand Chelsea the chance to win it, but Giorgi Mamardashvili kept out Emanuel Emegha. Gomez, captain since Virgil van Dijk went off, then made no mistake, and Fofana could not keep Chelsea alive.
Wesley Fofana: from a handball to the final miss
It was a cruel night for the Frenchman, who otherwise defended well and finished with a 7.6 rating from FotMob. His first-half handball from a Liverpool corner gave the hosts their equaliser, and his miss sent them through. Two moments undid an otherwise strong display.
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea: two penalties in three minutes
For 40 minutes this was a scrappy, low-quality cup tie. Then Malo Gusto slipped Moisés Caicedo into the box, and Gravenberch, on the wrong side of the Ecuadorian, chopped him down from behind. Referee Darren England pointed to the spot, Henderson was booed as he placed the ball down, and Morgan Rogers stroked it past Mamardashvili.
Chelsea’s lead lasted three minutes. Trey Nyoni’s deflected strike, Liverpool’s first shot of the game, won a corner, and when the delivery came in from the left it struck Fofana’s raised arm. Cody Gakpo sent Penders the wrong way to make it 1-1.
Penders the busier keeper
From there, the goalkeepers took centre stage. Penders, the 21-year-old Alonso has backed since Emiliano Martínez broke his jaw, made good saves from Gakpo, Ronald Araújo’s header and a low Bradley Barcola shot. At the other end, Mamardashvili parried a Rogers effort early in the second half, and Levi Colwill threw himself in front of a Wirtz shot late on.
Liverpool vs Chelsea stats: a tie that deserved its shootout
The numbers back up what the eye saw: two evenly matched, heavily rotated sides with little to separate them.
| Stat | Liverpool | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.10 | 1.82 |
| Shots | 10 | 11 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 4 |
| Big chances | 4 | 2 |
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
Both xG figures include the penalties, so in open play there was very little in it. Rogers was FotMob’s player of the match with a 7.9, ahead of Caicedo and Araújo on 7.8. Gravenberch, who conceded the penalty and missed in the shootout, had the lowest rating on the pitch at 5.6.
What Liverpool vs Chelsea means for Iraola and Arsenal on Sunday
Our Liverpool vs Chelsea selection preview said this game was a dress rehearsal for Arsenal, and Andoni Iraola learned a fair amount. He made seven changes, started James McConnell and Lewis Koumas, and still needed his big names to get over the line, with Wirtz and Barcola arriving on the hour and Alexander Isak and Alexis Mac Allister in the 82nd minute.
The good news is that Wirtz played half an hour after his foot problem and scored his penalty. The bad news is that Gravenberch had a night to forget, and the front line rarely threatened before the changes. Liverpool are fourth on 15 points, six behind second-placed Arsenal, who visit Anfield at 4.30pm on Sunday, 1 November.
Chelsea: positives, but another cup exit
Without the suspended Cole Palmer and the injured João Pedro, Reece James and Martínez, Alonso’s side matched Liverpool at Anfield. Rogers was the best player on the pitch, Henderson was influential on his return to his old club, and Penders showed why his manager trusts him. Maxence Lacroix going off at half-time with what looked like a hamstring problem is the one worry before Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge at 12.30pm on Saturday.
Verdict: Liverpool got away with one
This was not a performance to scare Arsenal. Liverpool lacked conviction in the box for long spells, relied on a handball for their goal and needed eight penalties to get through. But cup runs are built on nights like this, and Iraola now has a home quarter-final against Bournemouth in the week of 14 December to look forward to, a fit-again Wirtz and a winning feeling going into Sunday.
Chelsea deserved better. On another night, Barco’s kick goes in off the post rather than out, and we are talking about Rogers and Henderson silencing Anfield. Instead, it is Fofana’s miss that people will remember.