Wesley Fofana will want to forget his night at Anfield. The Chelsea defender gave away a penalty in normal time and then sent the final kick of a marathon shoot-out into the Kop on Wednesday, as Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to reach the quarter-finals of the English League Cup. Holders Manchester City also needed spot kicks to get past Brighton, winning 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
The Anfield tie carried a personal edge. It was the first meeting as managers between Liverpool’s Andoni Iraola and Chelsea’s Xabi Alonso, boyhood friends from San Sebastián, and it ended with the former Liverpool midfielder losing on all three of his visits to Anfield as a manager. His previous two defeats came with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024 and Real Madrid in 2025.
Chelsea struck first. Morgan Rogers converted a 40th-minute penalty after Ryan Gravenberch clattered into Moises Caicedo. Liverpool were level three minutes later, when referee Darren England pointed to the spot for a Fofana handball from a corner and Cody Gakpo scored.
The shoot-out swung back and forth over 16 kicks. Valentin Barco hit the post for Chelsea, and Kostas Tsimikas then fired over when he had the chance to win it for Liverpool. Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders saved from Gravenberch, before Giorgi Mamardashvili kept out Emmanuel Emegha. Joe Gomez scored, Fofana missed, and Anfield erupted.
History was firmly on Liverpool’s side. The two clubs had met in four previous shoot-outs before Wednesday, and Liverpool won every one: the 2007 Champions League semi-final, the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, the 2022 League Cup final and the 2022 FA Cup final. Alonso himself scored in the 2007 shoot-out as a Liverpool player, a night that now reads as a five-match winning sequence for the Merseyside club against Chelsea from 12 yards.
The selections told their own story. Iraola made seven changes from Sunday’s 2-0 league win over Brighton, while Alonso made only four from the side that lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham on Saturday. Chelsea were also without the suspended Cole Palmer and the injured João Pedro and Reece James.
For Alonso, the exit narrows his options sharply. Chelsea are not in European competition this season, which leaves the FA Cup as their remaining realistic route to silverware. He described the defeat as a “small set-back”, adding that someone always feels hard done by when a match goes to penalties.
Iraola, by contrast, is building momentum. Liverpool have lost only once in all competitions since he took charge, and he has a chance to match Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, who both reached the League Cup final in their first seasons at the club. Liverpool already hold the record for the competition with 10 titles. “Three wins at home in a row is very important,” Iraola said, noting that his side had struggled at Anfield in the league before Arsenal’s visit on Sunday.
Manchester City’s escape was just as tense. Enzo Maresca made nine changes after Saturday’s defeat at Aston Villa, which ended City’s perfect start to the Premier League season, resting Erling Haaland, Rúben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Gianluigi Donnarumma. Brighton led twice. Malick Yalcouye scored after 30 minutes, Mateo Kovacic curled in an equaliser from distance before the break, and Georginio Rutter restored Brighton’s lead early in the second half.
City drew level in the 72nd minute when Rayan Cherki’s free kick deflected in off Vitor Reis. Kovacic had his kick saved by Jason Steele in the shoot-out, but reserve goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli saved from Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk, and Cherki scored the winning penalty. Brighton had the better of the game on the numbers, generating 1.19 more expected goals than City and creating more clear chances in open play. The sides meet again in the Premier League at the Etihad on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Bournemouth extended their winning run to five matches in all competitions with a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa. Marco Rose’s side had already beaten AC Milan 3-0 in the Europa League and Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in the space of a week. Amine Adli, Lewis Cook and Alvaro Rodriguez scored the goals.
Crystal Palace eased the pressure on manager Pierre Sage with a 1-0 win at Fulham, Eddie Nketiah scoring their only goal to end a five-match winless run. Premier League bottom side Sunderland beat Brentford 3-2, with Chemsdine Talbi, Tymur Tutierov and Malick Fofana on target.
The round has already produced one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s recent history. Fourth-tier Fleetwood Town knocked out Premier League champions Arsenal on penalties on Tuesday, while third-tier Bradford City, beaten finalists in 2013, also advanced. Liverpool will face Iraola’s former club Bournemouth in the last eight, while City meet Bradford. Everton host Newcastle on Thursday in the final fourth round tie.