Liverpool got the better of Chelsea in their Carabao Cup fourth-round clash at Anfield on Wednesday, with Andoni Iraola’s Reds beating Xabi Alonso’s Blues 6-5 on penalties to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers broke the deadlock in the 40th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead, but their lead lasted just three minutes as Cody Gakpo equalized for Liverpool from the spot by converting a penalty.
The two sides could not be separated after 90 minutes, and it was Liverpool who held their nerve in the penalty shootout, with Wesley Fofana missing the decisive penalty to send the hosts through.
‘s Valentin Barco hit the post in the shootout before Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas wasted a chance to win it when he blazed over. Ryan Gravenberch was denied by Chelsea keeper Mike Penders, but Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Emmanuel Emegha’s kick to keep alive.
After Joe Gomez scored for Liverpool, Blues defender Wesley Fofana miskicked into the Kop as the hosts advanced.
It was former Liverpool midfielder Alonso’s third defeat in his three visits to Anfield as a manager, following losses to Bayer Leverkusen in 2024 and Real Madrid in 2025.
In their debut campaigns at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot both reached the League Cup final, and Iraola is on course to follow in their footsteps with the 10-time winners of the competition.
“We are really happy. Three wins at home in a row is very important. We were struggling at home in the league, but now we go against Arsenal on Sunday,” Iraola said in his post-match interview. Liverpool will face Iraola’s former club Bournemouth in the last eight.
Alonso added: “Every time you reach the penalties, someone will feel it is harsh to go out of the competition.
“We were showing a good level, and this is what it takes to come to these stadiums. The Premier League is the main focus,” he added.
At the Etihad Stadium, were pushed to the brink by Brighton in a 2-2 draw before winning on penalties.
City boss Enzo Maresca made nine changes after Saturday’s loss at Aston Villa, which ended the leaders’ 100% start to the Premier League campaign.
Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Gianluigi Donnarumma were among the City stars rested. Brighton went in front after 30 minutes when Malick Yalcouye steered Georginio Rutter’s shot past Geronimo Rulli from five yards.
Mateo Kovacic hauled City level 20 minutes later with a fine finish that curled into the far corner from 25 yards. Rutter restored Brighton’s lead two minutes after half-time, slotting home from Jaouen Hadjam’s cut-back.
Vitor Reis deflected in Rayan Cherki’s 72nd-minute free-kick to equalize for City. Jason Steele saved Kovacic’s penalty in the shootout, but Rulli denied Brighton’s Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk to send City into the last eight. The sides meet again in the Premier League at the Etihad on Saturday.
City will meet third-tier Bradford for a place in the semi-finals. Bournemouth extended their blistering run with a 3-0 win against Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries beat AC Milan 3-0 in the Europa League last week and followed that up with a 3-0 win at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday. Crystal Palace eased the pressure on under-fire boss Pierre Sage with a 1-0 win at Fulham.
In the quarter-finals, Palace host Sunderland, who enjoyed a welcome respite from their Premier League struggles with a 3-2 victory against Brentford at the Stadium of Light.
Fourth-tier Fleetwood reached the quarter-finals with a stunning penalty shoot-out victory over Premier League champions Arsenal on Tuesday. The ‘Cod Army’ will face the winners of Thursday’s clash between Everton and Newcastle.
(With AFP inputs)
