A pair of first half penalties, one by Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers and the other by Cody Gakpo ended the Carabao Cup match with Chelsea in a 1-1 draw. Then the Reds advanced to the next round with a 6-5 shootout victory. Joe Gomez scored the decisive kick and Giorgi Mamardahvili made a huge save to allow Liverpool to advance.
Giorgi Mamardashvili · LFC Globe Desk 8/10. Your mark?
Compare your full ballot →LFC Globe ratings by Jacob Conley. Have your say on every player below.
Starting XI Ratings
#25 Giorgi Mamardashvili (8.0/10): Big saves in the second half, but none bigger the one in the shootout. That’s a huge boost of confidence for the No.2 keeper
#2 Joe Gomez (7.0/10): Some vital touches throughout the match to snuff out Chelsea chances and of course the huge PK.
#4 Virgil van Dijk (6.5/10): Not the greatest game from the captain, but cleared danger when needed
#18 Cody Gakpo (5.5/10): Despite his goal, Gakpo struggled to get on to the end of some nice passes into the final third
#21 Konstantinos Tsimikas (4.0/10): Good game but you could see the heave legs late. Lets hope the missed PK does not haunt him for long
#33 Ronald Araújo (7.0/10):
Quickly becoming one of Liverpool’s best defender. Shoulder a Chelsea player off the ball in the box
#38 Ryan Gravenberch (3.0/10): Struggled in the middle of the park and gave away a penalty. Then had a PK saved
#42 Trey Nyoni (7.0/10): Best game in a Liverpool shirt. Controlled the midfield all match
#53 James McConnell (5.0/10): Another young player who showed flashes of talent but also struggled at times
#67 Lewis Koumas (6.0/10):
Serviceable job with some nice moves to find space, but a needless yellow card
#73 Rio Ngumoha (6.0/10): Took on defenders, created space, but not many chances
Substitutes
#5 Jérémy Jacquet (6.0/10): Solid job seeing out the draw as the game went to penalties
#7 Florian Wirtz (6.0/10): Nice spark coming off of the bench, but really should have scored in front of goal
#9 Alexander Isak (7.0/10): Perfect PK
#10 Alexis Mac Allister (6.5/10): Brought om for Penalties. Did his job.
#29 Bradley Barcola (6.0/10): Unstoppable PK
Our player of the match
Giorgi Mamardashvili.
If the match had not gone to PKs, the MOTM would have likely gone to Araújo, but stopping a PK is the hardest thing to do in all of sports. Mamardashvili covered himself in glory and now with Arsenal being knocked out, I think the Reds are now the favorites to lift the Carabao Cup
The Manager
Andoni Iraola (6.0/10): I think he played Gakpo out of position, but he was smart with his subs, setting up for Penalty Kicks
LFC Globe Verdict
Chelsea and Liverpool Cup ties always seem to be filled with drama and this was no different. Modern pundits say the Carabao Cup does not matter, but tell that to the players on the pitch and the supporters at Anfield. They are beyond excited to be moving to the next round. The only unfortunate bit is that Joe Gomez’s brilliant penalty will not count in the stats and he is still looking for his first Liverpool goal. The draw for the next round of the Carabao Cup will be held later tonight. You can look for full coverage of the draw and our reaction to this match on LFC Globe
Have your say
What is your Liverpool verdict? Share your view in the comments below.
| Statistic | Liverpool | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 52 | 48 |
| Shots | 10 | 11 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 4 |
| Corners | 7 | 5 |
| Fouls | 12 | 9 |
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