A scrappy encounter at Anfield was transformed by two costly mistakes in quick succession before a dramatic penalty shootout settled the tie. Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola made sweeping changes with Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal in mind, while Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea were looking to bounce back from their defeat to Tottenham.
Two penalties bring a sluggish first half to life
Iraola made seven changes to his starting line-up, bringing in several youngsters, including Trey Nyoni, James McConnell, Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Koumas. Chelsea, meanwhile, reshuffled their midfield, with Roméo Lavia operating behind Moisés Caicedo and Jordan Henderson, while Danny Welbeck led the attack.
The opening half-hour produced little in the way of clear-cut chances, with both sides struggling to put together incisive attacking moves. The breakthrough finally came when Ryan Gravenberch brought down Caicedo as the Chelsea midfielder made his way into the penalty area. Morgan Rogers stepped up and converted from the spot in the 40th minute.
Liverpool responded just three minutes later. Fofana handled the ball while defending a corner, allowing Cody Gakpo to equalise from the penalty spot. Chelsea suffered another setback before the break when injured centre-back Maxence Lacroix was forced off and replaced by Levi Colwill.
Nyoni impresses as Chelsea look to exploit the flanks
Liverpool sought to create openings down the left, with Kostas Tsimikas pushing high up the pitch and Ngumoha alternating between wide positions and the inside channel. The 19-year-old Nyoni repeatedly dropped deep to support the build-up and impressed with his composure in possession. He had registered 86 touches by the time he was substituted in the 82nd minute.
Chelsea defended in a 4-4-2 mid-block at times and also looked to make progress down their left flank. Malo Gusto advanced into attacking positions, allowing Rogers to move inside. Caicedo occasionally made dangerous runs beyond the midfield line, but Chelsea’s central trio lacked the cohesion needed to put Liverpool under sustained pressure.
The second half produced better opportunities. Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders made important saves from Ronald Araújo and Bradley Barcola, while Liverpool’s Giorgi Mamardashvili denied substitute Marco Palestra to prevent the visitors from regaining the lead.
The statistics reflected an evenly balanced contest. Liverpool had 52% possession and ten shots to Chelsea’s eleven, with both sides registering four efforts on target. Expected goals marginally favoured the hosts at 2.10 to 1.82. However, the two penalties accounted for approximately 0.8 xG each, leaving the figures at around 1.3 and 1.0 respectively when spot-kicks are excluded.
Fofana’s miss settles dramatic shootout
With no extra time, the match went straight to penalties. After Chelsea’s Valentín Barco struck the post, Tsimikas had the chance to send Liverpool through but blazed his effort well over the crossbar.
Penders later saved from Gravenberch, handing Chelsea another opportunity to win. Mamardashvili immediately responded by denying debutant Emmanuel Emegha, the former SK Sturm Graz striker.
Joe Gomez then converted for Liverpool before Fofana fired the 16th penalty of the shootout over the bar. The Reds prevailed 6-5, maintaining their remarkable record of winning all five penalty shootouts they have contested against Chelsea.
Iraola praises his players as Alonso takes positives
After the match, Iraola emphasised the significance of reaching the quarter-finals. He praised the effort his players had put in and felt their commitment had been rewarded. Liverpool will now host Iraola’s former club Bournemouth in the next round.
Despite the elimination, Alonso took encouragement from his team’s performance. He felt Chelsea had shown improvement compared with recent matches and played with greater courage, only to fall short in the shootout. There was also concern over Lacroix, who had been forced off with a thigh injury before half-time. Alonso said it would take several days to establish the extent of the problem.
Chelsea return to Premier League action against Manchester United on Saturday, while Liverpool host reigning champions Arsenal on Sunday.
