Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea (6-5 on penalties): Reds edge into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals

Anfield got the kind of Carabao Cup night the competition keeps promising: two Premier League heavyweights, two penalties before the interval, nothing to separate them in 90 minutes and a shootout to settle it. Liverpool won it 6-5 after the 1-1 draw, and Chelsea, who had arrived in decent cup form, were out in the fourth round.

The goals came in a three-minute burst just before half-time. Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead from the penalty spot in the 40th minute, and Cody Gakpo answered from the spot in the 43rd to level it. After that, neither side found a winner in the remaining time, and the tie went to penalties.

Score sheet

1. 40' — Morgan Rogers, penalty (Chelsea) 0-1
2. 43' — Cody Gakpo, penalty (Liverpool) 1-1
3. Penalty shootout — Liverpool 6-5 Chelsea

Venue: Anfield, Liverpool. Kick-off: 20:00 on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

Line-ups

• Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Gomez, Van Dijk, Araujo, Tsimikas; McConnell, Nyoni; Gakpo, Gravenberch, Ngumoha; Koumas. Used from the bench: Jacquet, Wirtz, Barcola, Isak, Mac Allister.
• Chelsea (4-3-3): Penders; Acheampong, Fofana, Lacroix, Gusto; Lavia, Henderson, Caicedo; Welbeck, Rogers, Neto. Used from the bench: Barco, Palestra, Colwill, Emegha.

Liverpool's starting eleven mixed established names with younger players. Giorgi Mamardashvili was in goal, Virgil van Dijk and Ronald Araujo shared the centre of defence, and Ryan Gravenberch and Gakpo anchored an attacking line that also included Rio Ngumoha, Lewis Koumas, James McConnell and Trey Nyoni. The bigger names arrived later: Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Alexis Mac Allister and Bradley Barcola all came on, along with Jeremy Jacquet. Chelsea changed less in character, with Moises Caicedo, Jordan Henderson and Romeo Lavia in midfield and Danny Welbeck, Rogers and Pedro Neto up front. Valentin Barco, Marco Palestra, Levi Colwill and Emmanuel Emegha were their four substitutes.

A match with almost nothing between the sides

The numbers explain why it went the distance. Four shots on target each, possession split 51.7% to 48.3%, pass completion in the same range (347 of 441 for Liverpool, 334 of 422 for Chelsea) and two yellow cards apiece. Liverpool were booked early: Koumas in the 11th minute and McConnell in the 21st. Chelsea's cautions came later, for Josh Acheampong in the 50th and Lavia in the 73rd. Liverpool committed 12 fouls to Chelsea's nine.

How both clubs got here

Liverpool, like every Premier League club with European football, entered the competition in the third round, so this was only their second tie in it. They beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at home on 15 September to get this far. Chelsea started a round earlier: a 2-0 win over Luton Town at home on 27 August in the second round, then a 6-3 win over Leeds United on 9 September in the third.

The league form going into the night pulled in different directions. Liverpool had lost 3-0 at home to Manchester City on 11 October, but then won four in a row across competitions: 6-3 at LASK Linz in the Champions League, 2-1 at Brentford, 4-3 at home against Villarreal in Europe and 2-0 against Brighton on 25 October. Chelsea had beaten Bournemouth 5-1 and Everton 2-0 in October, before a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur four days before this tie.

Gakpo's penalty and the shootout

Gakpo took Liverpool's penalty in the 43rd minute and levelled the tie, three minutes after Rogers had given Chelsea the lead from the spot. Chelsea's advantage lasted just three minutes, and the half-time score was 1-1.

The shootout finished 6-5 to Liverpool, a score that means it ran beyond the usual five kicks each before a winner emerged. For Chelsea, who had gone ahead first, it was a hard way to leave the competition.

No previous meeting in the archive

Guriball has not published an earlier Liverpool-Chelsea game this season, so there is no head-to-head run to quote from the archive. What the tie did show is how little separated them on the night: level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, level on shots on target at four each, and separated only by one kick in the shootout.

What's next

Liverpool go into the quarter-finals, played on 15-17 December 2026, and have been drawn at home to AFC Bournemouth at Anfield on 16 December, with a 20:00 kick-off. Liverpool beat Bournemouth 1-0 away in the Premier League on 20 September. Chelsea's domestic focus now turns to the Premier League.