Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea: Through on penalties
Liverpool v Chelsea · EFL Cup · 28 October 2026
What a thrilling win at Anfield against a Big Six side that proved to test the quality and mentality of the Reds players.
What a way to kick off the week, with a midweek tie against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. This was a game where we knew that sides would be rotated heavily, and Iraola proved that by starting four youngsters and leaving the cavalry on the bench. That is some real confidence from the manager, and yes, of course he is taking a bit of a gamble — but Iraola does not do this if he doesn’t see what the lads are doing in training and think “they can play the way I want them to”. I am very proud of the U21s. McConnell, Trey, Rio and Koumas are all coming into their own now, knowing that they have a manager who backs them through and through.
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea (Liverpool win 6-5 on penalties)
Carabao Cup fourth round · Anfield · Wednesday 28 October 2026
| Liverpool | Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Ninety minutes | 1 | 1 |
| Penalty shootout | 6 | 5 |
| Scorers | Gakpo 43' (pen) | Rogers 40' (pen) |
Data: FotMob
Liverpool: Mamardashvili; Gomez, Araújo, Van Dijk (Jacquet 72’), Tsimikas; Nyoni (Mac Allister 82’), Gravenberch; Ngumoha (Isak 82’), McConnell (Wirtz 59’), Gakpo; Koumas (Barcola 59’)
Chelsea: Penders; Acheampong, Fofana, Lacroix (Colwill 45+1’), Gusto (Palestra 68’); Caicedo (Barco 68’), Lavia, Henderson; Neto, Rogers; Welbeck (Emegha 68’)
The team sheets told two different stories. Xabi Alonso brought an experienced Chelsea side to Anfield: Caicedo, Lavia, Henderson, Neto, Welbeck and Rogers. Iraola went the other way and started four young players from the first whistle: Ngumoha, Nyoni, McConnell and Koumas.
It’s easy to call that a gamble, but I see it as trust. No manager throws inexperienced players into a fixture this big unless training has convinced him they can handle it. The real test was whether he let them play their natural game rather than asking them to play it safe.
Chelsea had more than enough quality to make it a long night, and they did — it took sixteen penalties to separate the sides. But Liverpool went through, and that says a lot. The senior players on the bench will feel the pressure for places. Opposing managers will have to scout players they barely know. And Chelsea went out to a Liverpool side that didn’t need its full-strength eleven. I love the message that this sends to not only Chelsea but many other clubs knowing that Liverpool have the quality and depth and you will not be getting a break when a change is made in this squad.
Minute by minute
0-15: Slow start for both teams. Pressing not very coordinated on Liverpool’s side, and Chelsea inviting the attack in and getting stuck in for the first couple of minutes of the game. Many long balls going wide or not finding the desired target. Wingers are not getting the ball and are forced to drift more inside to play direct. Chelsea do not want Rio with the ball on the wing. Midfield is getting exposed more often as they are playing through the middle, with Gravenberch sitting too high and carrying the ball too much. 15-30: Pressing starting to come out from the Reds, trying to force turnovers and win the ball high up the pitch. Nyoni and Rio coming into the game, taking on players, winning duels and interceptions, dropping shoulders and getting the home crowd into it. I love that these young lads have the support and confidence to take on the Chelsea players and have no fear. 30-45: Pressing is starting to force some more corners, but poor delivery on our side from them. Dominating the last 15 minutes of the first half, Gakpo playing as a nine with Koumas wide and getting fed, Araújo weaker with the clearances down the right. Sloppy game overall, not many quality moments. Gravenberch’s late challenge in the box led to Morgan Rogers converting a penalty, and then a handball on the opposite end sees Gakpo slot a pen into the back of the net to take us into half-time at 1-1. 45-60: Dangerous chance by Rogers is fluffed. Poor defending by Liverpool on set pieces needs to be addressed, specifically from the creative ones. 53’ good Mamardashvili save. Wirtz on for McConnell and Barcola on for Koumas — Barcola forces a chance and a great save from Penders. 60-75: Chelsea make a triple change. VVD off for Jacquet in the 72nd minute. The rest of the half is wide open, play from both sides and nothing can be converted. Macca on for Trey, Isak on for Rio.
The shootout
Sixteen penalties. Liverpool win 6-5.
| # | Liverpool | Chelsea | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mac Allister | scored | Neto | scored |
| 2 | Isak | scored | Rogers | scored |
| 3 | Gakpo | scored | Lavia | scored |
| 4 | Wirtz | scored | Barco | off the post |
| 5 | Tsimikas | missed | Henderson | scored |
| 6 | Barcola | scored | Colwill | scored |
| 7 | Gravenberch | saved | Emegha | saved |
| 8 | Gomez | scored | Fofana | missed |
Source: FotMob
Joe Gomez, our hero.
Player ratings
FotMob ratings — Liverpool.
| Player | Rating | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Giorgi Mamardashvili | 7.8 | 3 saves, one of them at 78’ |
| Ronald Araújo | 7.8 | 3 shots, all from set plays |
| Cody Gakpo | 7.6 | Scored the 43’ penalty |
| Trey Nyoni | 7.1 | Off on 82 |
| Joe Gomez | 7.0 | Scored the winning penalty |
| Virgil van Dijk | 6.9 | Off on 72 |
| Konstantinos Tsimikas | 6.9 | Missed in the shootout |
| Rio Ngumoha | 6.9 | Off on 82 |
| James McConnell | 6.5 | Booked, off on 59 |
| Lewis Koumas | 6.4 | Booked, off on 59 |
| Bradley Barcola | 6.4 | On 59 |
| Jérémy Jacquet | 6.1 | On 72 |
| Florian Wirtz | 6.0 | On 59 |
| Ryan Gravenberch | 5.6 | Lowest on the pitch, saved in the shootout |
| Mac Allister, Isak | — | On 82, too late for FotMob to rate |
Source: FotMob
The standouts
Joe Gomez — 7.0. Ninety minutes at right-back, and then the penalty that settled it. With the shootout level at 5-5 he took Liverpool’s eighth and scored it. Fofana missed the next one and that was the tie.
Trey Nyoni — 7.1. The highest-rated of the four young players who started, and the last of them left on the pitch — McConnell and Koumas were both gone by the hour, Nyoni lasted until Mac Allister replaced him on 82.
Rio Ngumoha — 6.9. Eighty-two minutes against the club he came through, with Chelsea paying him close attention down the left all night.
Giorgi Mamardashvili — 7.8. Level with Araújo as the best Liverpool player on the night. Three saves inside the ninety, the biggest from Palestra on 78. Then he saved Emegha’s in the shootout — one of the three Chelsea penalties that failed, with Barco hitting the post and Fofana missing the last.
FotMob ratings — Chelsea.
| Player | Rating | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan Rogers | 7.9 | Man of the match. Scored, and had 6 of their 11 shots |
| Mike Penders | 7.8 | 3 saves, plus one in the shootout |
| Moisés Caicedo | 7.8 | Off on 68 |
| Wesley Fofana | 7.6 | Missed the decisive penalty |
| Jordan Henderson | 7.6 | Scored his penalty |
| Josh Acheampong | 7.5 | Booked |
| Roméo Lavia | 7.2 | Booked |
| Pedro Neto | 7.2 | |
| Malo Gusto | 7.0 | Off on 68 |
| Maxence Lacroix | 6.6 | Off at half-time |
| Levi Colwill | 6.4 | On 45+1 |
| Valentín Barco | 6.4 | On 68 |
| Danny Welbeck | 6.3 | Off on 68 |
| Marco Palestra | 6.2 | On 68 |
| Emanuel Emegha | 6.0 | On 68 |
Source: FotMob
In possession
| Liverpool | Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Passes | 441 | 422 |
| Accurate passes | 347 (79%) | 334 (79%) |
| Passes in the opposition half | 171 | 143 |
| Touches in the opposition box | 20 | 21 |
| Accurate crosses | 5 of 21 (24%) | 2 of 12 (17%) |
| Accurate long balls | 19 of 56 (34%) | 14 of 42 (33%) |
| Successful dribbles | 6 of 9 (67%) | 8 of 13 (62%) |
| Expected goals | 2.10 | 1.82 |
| xG from open play | 0.74 | 0.61 |
| Big chances | 4 | 2 |
| Big chances missed | 3 | 1 |
Data: FotMob
We were direct, and not as much winger play until Rio and Bradley came on and started creating down the side. We are only really threatening with Rio on the ball, and this needs to be an area of improvement — where we can find lanes open for him to pass to when he is getting double- and triple-teamed.
Out of possession
| Liverpool | Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 12 | 15 |
| Interceptions | 12 | 4 |
| Blocks | 3 | 4 |
| Clearances | 15 | 32 |
| Keeper saves | 3 | 3 |
| Duels won | 37 | 53 |
| Ground duels won | 26 (44%) | 33 (56%) |
| Aerial duels won | 11 (35%) | 20 (65%) |
| Fouls committed | 12 | 9 |
| Shots faced | 11 | 10 |
| Shots blocked | 5 | 3 |
Data: FotMob
Pressing well as the game went on, and we were more open in midfield as we do not have the normal holding double-pivot midfielders we typically have.
Counter and transition
| Situation | Liverpool shots | Liverpool xG | Chelsea shots | Chelsea xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open play | 3 | 0.70 | 6 | 0.48 |
| Fast break | 1 | 0.06 | 1 | 0.14 |
| Set play | 5 | 0.57 | 3 | 0.41 |
| Penalty | 1 | 0.79 | 1 | 0.79 |
Data: FotMob
| First half | Second half | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession (L–C) | 49% – 51% | 54% – 46% |
| Shots (L–C) | 6 – 2 | 4 – 9 |
| xG (L–C) | 1.04 – 0.83 | 1.07 – 0.99 |
| Touches in box (L–C) | 5 – 9 | 15 – 12 |
| Corners (L–C) | 5 – 0 | 2 – 5 |
| Interceptions (L–C) | 5 – 2 | 7 – 2 |
Data: FotMob
We need to be better in transition. I feel we are slow sometimes and do not make the correct decisions on the break to allow our other players to come into the ball and get a goal on the fast break.
Set pieces
| Liverpool | Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|
| Corners | 7 | 5 |
| Corners, first half | 5 | 0 |
| Corners, second half | 2 | 5 |
| Shots from set plays | 5 | 3 |
| xG from set plays | 0.57 | 0.42 |
| Aerial duels won | 11 (35%) | 20 (65%) |
| Throw-ins | 14 | 18 |
Data: FotMob
Winning lots of corners is good, but we need to change our approach and get more balls into the net through headers or other setups.
What it means
Liverpool are in the quarter-finals. The draw is made after the round, and the tie is played in the week beginning 14 December.
Great win in the cup. Arsenal coming up this weekend. Up the Reds!