Liverpool came through a 6-5 penalty shootout against Chelsea on Wednesday to book a place in the English League Cup quarterfinals. The last-16 tie at Anfield finished 1-1 after normal time, so the shootout decided it.
The contest was also a meeting of two old friends. Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola came out on top against Chelsea’s Xabi Alonso, a former Liverpool midfielder who has now lost all three of his visits to Anfield as a manager. His earlier defeats came with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024 and Real Madrid in 2025.
Penalty shootout settles Liverpool’s last-16 tie
Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers gave his side the lead from the spot after Ryan Gravenberch fouled Moises Caicedo, scoring in the 40th minute. Liverpool were level three minutes later, when Cody Gakpo converted a penalty after Wesley Fofana handled the ball.
The shootout was tight throughout. Chelsea’s Valentin Barco struck the post, while Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas missed a chance to win it by firing over. Mike Penders saved Gravenberch’s attempt for Chelsea, but Giorgi Mamardashvili kept Liverpool alive by stopping Emmanuel Emegha’s kick. Joe Gomez then scored, and Fofana sent his effort wide into the Kop.
Iraola and Alonso react to the result
Iraola said the team was delighted. “We are really happy,” he said, adding that three successive home wins were very important after a difficult run at Anfield in the league. Liverpool now face Arsenal on Sunday, and Iraola will take on his former club Bournemouth in the quarterfinals.
Iraola is also on course to match the early achievements of Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, who both reached the League Cup final in their first seasons at Liverpool. The club have won the competition 10 times.
Alonso accepted that the result was hard on his side. “Every time you reach the penalties, someone will feel it is harsh to go out of the competition,” he said. He added that his team had shown a good level, but that the Premier League remained the main focus. Alonso made four changes to the Chelsea side that lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham on Saturday, while Iraola made seven changes from the team that beat Brighton 2-0 on Sunday.
