The quarter-final draw
Fleetwood Town v Everton or Newcastle United
Manchester City v Bradford City
Crystal Palace v Sunderland
Liverpool v Bournemouth
Fixtures to be played week commencing December 14
Key events
Andy Hunter was at Anfield tonight. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Xabi Alonso speaks to Sky. “Every time you reach the penalties someone will feel it was harsh to go out … it was a proper cup game … really close on both sides … we have performed at a good enough level to compete at Anfield … for all the game it was really close … it was a solid performance from Mike [Penders] … he was stable and solid … very important after Saturday … this is football … part of our job … we competed and showed a good level … this is the least important competition for us … the Premier League is the main focus … we do not have much time to recover … we have to change the mindset quite quick.”
Andoni Iraola, who will face his old club Bournemouth in the quarters, speaks to Sky Sports. “It was quite a level game … very competitive … not a lot of chances … happy with the performances of our players … we are confident [in our young players] … they have helped us a lot … we were really close to scoring a second goal … when you win, you forget those chances … you have to keep your concentration levels [for penalties] … three [wins] at home in a row is important … we were struggling … now we have the biggest one against Arsenal on Sunday.”
ShareThe quarter-final draw
Fleetwood Town v Everton or Newcastle United
Manchester City v Bradford City
Crystal Palace v Sunderland
Liverpool v Bournemouth
Fixtures to be played week commencing December 14
Liverpool v Bournemouth.
Crystal Palace v Sunderland.
Manchester City v Bradford City.
The quarter-final draw. Fleetwood Town v Everton or Newcastle United.
The quarter-final draw is coming up. No flipping!
Photograph: Moviestore Collection Ltd/AlamyShare
Updated at 18.26 EDT
What a moment for Joe Gomez, who has never scored a regulation goal for Liverpool. But he has now slotted the decisive penalty for his team in a shoot-out. The draw after 90 minutes seemed about right on balance – neither team did quite enough to win – so it was down to the slim margins of the spot-kick shoot-out. Both Liverpool and Chelsea had it in their grasp, both spurned their chance, but Liverpool didn’t blink twice.
ShareRESULT: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea (Liverpool win 6-5 on pens)
Anfield explodes in delight; poor Fofana sinks onto his haunches. Xabi embraces his old pal Andoni, and Liverpool make it to the quarters. Henderson, to his great credit, hides his disappointment and gives his old team-mate Van Dijk a congratulatory hug.
Wesley Fofana skies it and Chelsea are out! Photograph: Ryan Browne/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 18.17 EDT
PENALTIES: Liverpool 6-5 Chelsea. Fofana next for Chelsea. He looks a tad nervous … and is asked to re-spot the ball before taking … and it’s too much for him. He leans back and launches his penalty deep into the Kop, and Liverpool’s hex over Chelsea from 12 yards extends to five out of five!
PENALTIES: Liverpool 6-5 Chelsea. Gomez, who has never scored for Liverpool, absolutely whistles a penalty into the top right. What moxie there!
PENALTIES: Liverpool 5-5 Chelsea. Emegha, on his Chelsea debut, aims for the bottom left … and Mamardashvili extends to claw away! Not the greatest penalty, but a fine save nonetheless!
PENALTIES: Liverpool 5-5 Chelsea. Gravenberch, who cost Liverpool the penalty in the first half, errs again. A scuffed kick towards the bottom right, and Penders, who guesses correctly, parries well! Chelsea one kick away from the quarters!
PENALTIES: Liverpool 5-5 Chelsea. Colwill has to score, like Henderson before him … and with a one-step run-up, he absolutely lashes into the top right! Mamardashvili had guessed correctly, but good luck stopping that one!
PENALTIES: Liverpool 5-4 Chelsea. Barcola up next for Liverpool, who were so close and now are so far. He takes a short run-up. Three or four steps … and whipped into the top left. What a penalty! Pressure back on Chelsea now.
PENALTIES: Liverpool 4-4 Chelsea. Henderson, of all people, up next for Chelsea. The erstwhile Liverpool captain, who lifted seven trophies for the club, runs up and … bashes a clean kick down the middle. Sudden death now!
PENALTIES: Liverpool 4-3 Chelsea. Tsimikas, who scored the decisive spot kick between these teams at the 2022 FA Cup final, has the chance to send Liverpool through. And he sails the penalty miles over the bar! What an awful spot kick!
Photograph: Darren Staples/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 18.09 EDT
PENALTIES: Liverpool 4-3 Chelsea. Barco next for Chelsea. He takes a little skip, sends Mamardashvili the wrong way … but clips his rising shot off the inside of the left-hand post and out! Liverpool suddenly one kick away from the quarters!
Photograph: Ian Hodgson/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.08 EDT
PENALTIES: Liverpool 4-3 Chelsea. Wirtz takes a short run-up … and bashes a fine penalty into the bottom right. Penders sent the wrong way. These are spot kicks out of the top drawer.
PENALTIES: Liverpool 3-3 Chelsea. Lavia next up for Chelsea. Before he can take, Penders is told to get out of everyone’s sightline. But Lavia isn’t fazed by the hold-up, sending Mamardashvili the wrong way as he whips into the bottom right.
PENALTIES: Liverpool 3-2 Chelsea. Gakpo, who equalised in the first half from 12 yards, lashes into the bottom left. Penders goes the wrong way. Every kick unstoppable so far.
PENALTIES: Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea. Rogers, who gave Chelsea the lead from the spot in the first half, slots into the bottom left. Mamardashvili guesses correctly, but the placement was so good, he had no hope of reaching the ball.
Photograph: Ian Hodgson/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.05 EDT
PENALTIES: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea. Isak takes his first penalty in a Liverpool shirt. A straight-ish run up. High and into the top left. Again Penders guesses correctly; again he’s got no hope of stopping that.
Photograph: Ian Hodgson/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.04 EDT
PENALTIES: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea. Neto is first up for Chelsea. He aims for the middle of goal. Mamardashvili dives left and the ball whistles into the net. Fine penalty.
Photograph: Ian Hodgson/ReutersShare
Updated at 18.03 EDT
PENALTIES: Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea. Mac Allister up first. Penders takes his sweet time to go in goal. Mac Allister steps up to warm applause, and … roofs into the top left. Penders went the right way, but didn’t have a chance.
Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAShare
Updated at 18.02 EDT
The penalties will be taken in front of the Kop. Liverpool to go first.
While we wait, a reminder of all the other scores in the League Cup tonight.
Bournemouth 3-0 Aston Villa
Fulham 0-1 Crystal Palace
Manchester City 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion (City win 4-3 on pens)
Sunderland 3-2 Brentford
Bradford City and Fleetwood Town are also in the pot after last night’s heroics. Everton host Newcastle United tomorrow evening.
Liverpool and Chelsea have contested four penalty shoot-outs. Liverpool have won them all, most famously at the 2022 League and FA Cup finals. Chelsea are due one, it’s fair to say. Giorgi Mamardashvili and Mike Penders prepare to be the hero.
ShareFULL TIME: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Penalties it is! Seems about right on the balance of play.
90 min +2: Gomez with another run down the right. Probably not the player Liverpool need in these situations.
90 min +1: … and just like that, we’re 60 seconds closer to a shoot-out. Both teams look like they’ve settled for one.
90 min: Gomez looks to have burst past Rogers down the right, but when he should cross, he loses control of his feet and falls over. Goal kick. There will be three additional minutes … then penalties?
88 min: It’s all very scrappy now. Nerves a-jangling.
86 min: Wirtz battles down the left and earns a corner out of not very much. Tsimikas takes. Mac Allister tries to get a shot away on the edge of the D, but can’t connect. Penders eventually claims.
85 min: Barco floats a diagonal towards Rogers on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Rogers shanks a volley into the Kop. The tension at Anfield is palpable, and to think some people kid on they don’t care about the League Cup.
84 min: Gakpo cuts in from the left and shoots. It’s weak, deflected, and easy for Penders.
83 min: Mac Allister and Isak come on for Nyoni and Ngumoha.
82 min: That Wirtz scuff hit Colwill’s arm, but even if VAR was on duty tonight, it would have been a harsh penalty call. Both players were so close together and Colwill’s arm was right by his side.
81 min: A miserable 60 seconds for Wirtz, who scuffs at Gakpo’s downward header, allowing Colwill to block from six yards when he really should have scored. Then another phase of play, and Wirtz clanks a heavy pass out for a goal kick while trying to release Barcola into the box.
79 min: Sunderland have got over the line: they’ve beaten Brentford 3-2. And they’re joined in the quarter-final pot by Crystal Palace, who have won at Fulham 1-0. A reminder that the draw is scheduled to take place at 10.20pm UK time, and we’ll be all over that.
78 min: Chelsea are getting on top at Anfield. Rogers slips Palestra into space down the inside-left channel, and the resulting shot forces Mamardashvili into a strong tip around the post. And from the corner, Colwill eyebrows towards the top-right corner. Just wide. So close.
77 min: … nothing much occurs. Brentford have pulled another goal back at Sunderland through Igor Thiago, but with the scoreline 3-2 and five minutes of extra time played, is it too late?
76 min: Bournemouth are also in the quarters. They’ve sealed a 3-0 win over Aston Villa. Meanwhile at Anfield, the lively Emegha earns a corner down the right, from which …
74 min: Liverpool launch a four-on-three counter. Gravenberch has options … but clanks a dismal pass towards nobody in particular. Anfield groans … while the Etihad celebrates, Manchester City having just beaten Brighton 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
The fairytale continues. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 17.39 EDT
73 min: Ngumoha dribbles hard down the middle and is clipped from behind by Lavia, who goes into the book. A few nerves around Anfield now, as both teams and sets of fans glance at the clock.
72 min: Van Dijk – whose last act was to be shoved in the chest in a slightly unnecessary style by the eager sub Emegha – is replaced by Jacquet. No injury from the shove, to be clear.
71 min: The game between Manchester City and Brighton has gone to penalties: 2-2 after full time.
70 min: Liverpool stroke it around the back awhile, as both teams size up all those changes.
68 min: Chelsea make a triple change. Caicedo, Gusto and Welbeck make way for Palestra, Barco and Emegha.
67 min: Gakpo yanks Lavia to the ground, 35 yards out in a central position. He’s fortunate not to go into the book. But it is a free kick in a promising position for Chelsea. Henderson has a look, then defers to Rogers … who lumps a dismal effort deep into the Kop.
65 min: Barcola sashays in from the right and swivels, aiming a low drive towards the bottom right. Penders tips around the post, another fine save by a young keeper who had a mare against Spurs last weekend. He’s not one of the most-touted goalkeeping prospects for nothing.
63 min: Neto swings a free kick in from the left. Araujo clatters the ball clear, prepared to take Henderson with him if needs be. Fortunately not mistimed. It’ll be quite the scene if he gets one wrong by a split second.
62 min: Gomez crosses from the right. Araujo, alone 12 yards out, powers a header straight at Penders, who parries with a strong hand. Araujo should have scored. Chelsea counter immediately through Rogers, who nips in from the left and sees his shot deflected over. Nothing comes of the corner, but this game is finally threatening to spark into life.
Mike Penders makes a fine save to deny Ronald Araujo. Photograph: Carl Recine/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 17.27 EDT