Fofana Misses as Liverpool Beat Chelsea 6-5 on Penalties

Anfield has seen this before. Liverpool saw off Chelsea in another Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out on Wednesday night, winning 6-5 after a 1-1 draw to send Xabi Alonso to his third defeat as a manager at the ground where he once played. The scoreline will not go down as a classic, but the shootout that decided it will be replayed in Chelsea minds for a while yet.

It fell short of the drama Liverpool fans saw four years ago, when the Reds won an epic Wembley final shoot-out 11-10 with only one missed penalty in the entire contest. This one had more misses, but the celebrations at the final whistle were just as telling as the hosts punched their ticket to the quarter-finals.

A Game Short on Quality, Decided by Needless Penalties

The match itself had little to offer. Both of the night's goals came in normal time, and both came from the penalty spot, arriving in a four-minute spell right at the end of the first half. That two needlessly-conceded penalties produced the only goals of the 90 minutes said plenty about the quality on show.

The first was avoidable. Ryan Gravenberch lunged in from behind on Moises Caicedo, and basic geometry meant the challenge was never going to win the ball back. It was not even a necessary foul to make — Caicedo was heading away from goal when Gravenberch went through him. Chelsea had their penalty, and Morgan Rogers stepped up and scored it, on what was otherwise an underwhelming night for the England international. He was not alone in that regard.

Liverpool's route back to parity was just as avoidable from Chelsea's side. Wesley Fofana inexplicably raised an arm inside his own box, handing Cody Gakpo the chance to level from the spot. Gakpo made no mistake, and the sides went in level at the break, the tie's only goals wrapped up inside four minutes either side of the whistle.

Changes on Both Sides, but Nerve Was What Mattered

The team selections framed the night as a test of whether a near-strongest Chelsea side would settle it before Liverpool's enormous bench could be introduced. Liverpool made seven changes, resting Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz and Alexis Mac Allister. Chelsea, by contrast, swapped only four players, fielding a side closer to full strength.

In the end, neither selection call proved decisive. The game went to penalties with nothing settled by personnel, and it came down, as these games so often do, to who held their nerve from twelve yards — with Liverpool's half-a-billion-pound bench finally called upon in the shootout itself.

The Shootout: Gomez the Unlikely Hero, Fofana the Fall Guy

Final score

1-1 (6-5 on penalties)

Liverpool scorers in shootout

Mac Allister, Isak, Gakpo, Wirtz, Barcola, Gomez

Chelsea scorers named in shootout

Pedro Neto, Rogers, Romeo Lavia

Decisive kick

Joe Gomez scores, Wesley Fofana blazes over

Alonso's Anfield record as a manager

Three defeats

Joe Gomez, who has not scored in 280 appearances for Liverpool, stepped up to strike the decisive spot-kick for the hosts. Wesley Fofana followed and blazed his effort over the bar, sealing a 6-5 win for Liverpool and sending Anfield into celebration. For a defender with Gomez's scoring record, it was an unlikely way to settle a tie — and for Fofana, a cruel one.

Mac Allister, Isak, Gakpo, Wirtz, Barcola and Gomez all converted for the hosts across the shootout, underlining how many of Liverpool's second-half substitutes ended up with the ball at their feet when it mattered most. Pedro Neto, Rogers and Romeo Lavia were among Chelsea's takers before Fofana's miss ended the contest.

What It Means: Liverpool Draw Bournemouth, Chelsea Go Home

For Liverpool, the reward is a home quarter-final against in-form Bournemouth at Anfield. The tie will reunite Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola with his former club. Bournemouth beat Liverpool 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League last month, so the hosts will not take the visit lightly.

For Chelsea and Xabi Alonso, it is a third defeat as a manager at Anfield — a ground with clearly uncomfortable history for the former Reds midfielder. The early elimination from the Carabao Cup ends any involvement in the competition for a squad that, on paper, fielded close to its strongest available group.

The Rest of the Last Eight

Liverpool and Bournemouth were not the only pairing confirmed in the draw. Holders Manchester City, who also needed penalties to get past Premier League opposition — beating Brighton 4-3 in a shoot-out at the Etihad after twice coming from behind to draw 2-2 — were rewarded with a tie against League One side Bradford City at the Etihad Stadium. Goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli was City's hero in that shootout, saving spot-kicks from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk. Bradford are through to the EFL Cup quarter-finals for the first time since reaching Wembley in 2013, but face a daunting trip to Manchester before Christmas.

Fleetwood Town's reward for stunning Premier League champions Arsenal on penalties is another home tie, against the winner of Everton's clash with Newcastle United, with the League Two side's match set for Highbury. Crystal Palace, who beat Fulham to ease the pressure on head coach Pierre Sage, will host Sunderland at Selhurst Park after the Black Cats beat Brentford 3-2 at the Stadium of Light. Carabao Cup quarter-final ties are pencilled in for the week commencing 14 December.

For Liverpool, the immediate takeaway is simpler: survive the shootout, forget the forgettable 90 minutes, and turn attention to a quarter-final against a Bournemouth side that has already beaten them once this season. Anfield will want a different outcome from twelve yards next time — though on this showing, few inside the ground will have minded the nerves along the way.