The final score is Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea. Wesley Fofana's handball at 43rd minute squandered their lead. In the penalty shootout, he missed the penalty while Joe Gomez netted in. Liverpool advanced to the next round of the Carabao Cup after defeating Tottenham and Chelsea in a row.
2026/2027 League Cup
1-1
Match Report:
Wesley Fofana missed the decisive penalty as Liverpool defeated Chelsea 6-5 in a dramatic EFL Cup shoot-out, following a 1-1 draw in Wednesday's fourth-round tie.
Spot-kicks were central throughout the contest, with Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo both scoring from 12 yards within the space of three first-half minutes.
After an end-to-end second half, the drama continued into the shoot-out with Kostas Tsimikas and Emmanuel Emegha both missing chances to win it for their respective teams, the latter on his Chelsea debut.
And after a rocket of a kick from Joe Gomez found the top-right corner, Fofana sent his effort spiralling into the Kop, dropping Xabi Alonso to defeat on his first return to Anfield since taking the Chelsea job.
INTO THE QUARTER-FINALS!! https://t.co/Lkb4kcP6i9
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 28, 2026
Rogers saw an early penalty appeal fall on deaf ears, but referee Darren England did point to the spot in the 38th minute, when Moises Caicedo got goal-side of Ryan Gravenberch and was clattered from behind by the Dutchman.
With Cole Palmer suspended following his red card against Tottenham on Saturday, it was Rogers who converted into the right side of the goal, after a brief moment in which it appeared former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson might take the kick.
But the Reds had a penalty of their own shortly after Rogers' goal, with Gakpo finding the bottom-left corner after Fofana inexplicably handled from a corner.
Mike Penders made two excellent saves as Liverpool dialled up the pressure after half-time, keeping out a bullet header from Ronald Araujo and tipping a strike from Bradley Barcola around the post, moments after the Frenchman came on alongside Florian Wirtz.
Chelsea continued to carry a threat, with Giorgi Mamardashvili getting down brilliantly to thwart Marco Palestra following a powerful run from Rogers, though they may not have made it to the shoot-out, if not for Levi Colwill making a heroic block in front of Wirtz.
After seven perfect kicks, Valentin Barco's effort bounced off the inside of the post but Tsimikas – who scored the decisive spot-kick when the teams met in the 2022 FA Cup final – blazed wildly over when presented with the chance to win the tie for Liverpool.
After Henderson made light of the Kop's boos to send it to sudden death, Emegha failed to punish Gravenberch for his saved kick, and it was Fofana who made the all-important error for Chelsea.
Penalties galore at Anfield
The fact that Wednesday's game was decided from the spot should have come as a surprise to nobody – five of the last 10 meetings between Liverpool and Chelsea, across all competitions, have finished level (three Liverpool wins, two Chelsea wins).
In regulation time, two players who relish playing in the EFL Cup kept their composure from 12 yards. Rogers now has 11 goal involvements in the EFL Cup overall (six goals, five assists) – he is the only player with at least five goals and five assists in the competition since 2023-24.
Gakpo's 11 goals in the EFL Cup, meanwhile, are the most of any player since the start of 2023-24. His successful spot-kick maintained his 100% scoring record when appearing in the competition at Anfield – he has netted in all seven such games (eight goals in total).
Both of those players were also on target in the shoot-out, but the same could not be said of Barco, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Emegha and Fofana as Liverpool – just as they did in both domestic cup finals in 2021-22 – inflicted penalty woe on the Blues.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
10' Koumas plays a through ball, but Gakpo's touch is cut out
17' Tsimikas is penalized for a foul
21' Yellow Card! James McConnell booked
24' Rogers goes down in the box, but the referee waves play on
31' Chelsea make a basic mistake in passing and receiving at the back
40' Penalty Goal! Liverpool 0-1 Chelsea (Morgan Rogers)
43' Penalty Goal! Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea (Cody Gakpo)
44' Gakpo drives forward and his long-range shot is saved
45' Lacroix goes off injured, and Colwill comes on as a substitute
48' Rogers controls the ball and shoots, but the shot is saved
50' Yellow Card! Josh Acheampong booked
59' Gusto goes down and protests to the referee
61' Araujo's header is saved by Penders
62' Rogers shoots on the counter, but Joe Gomez blocks it
65' Barcola shoots, and Penders makes another save
78' Mamardashvili makes a brilliant save
80' Wirtz's close-range shot is saved
Line-ups
Liverpool XI: Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Tsimikas, Gakpo, Araujo, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Gravenberch, James McConnell, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas, Rio Ngumoha
Subs: Alisson, Endo, Isak, Chiesa, Mac Allister, Barcola, Wirtz, Luke Chambers, Jérémy Jacquet
Chelsea XI: Henderson, Welbeck, Pedro Neto, Maxence Lacroix, Morgan Rogers, Wesley Fofana, Caicedo, Gusto, Lavia, Josh Acheampong, Mike Penders
Subs: Colwill, Emmanuel Emegha, Valentín Barco, Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Marco Palestra, Estêvão, Geovany Quenda, Olutayo Subuloye, Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli