Chelsea Crash Out of Carabao Cup After Anfield Shootout Heartbreak
Chelsea's hopes of Carabao Cup glory this season came to a painful end at Anfield, as a tense 1-1 draw with Liverpool was settled by a marathon penalty shootout that the Blues ultimately lost 6-5.
Sports Mole reports that Andoni Iraola's Liverpool side triumphed in a "chaotic" shootout to book their place in the quarter-finals (Sports Mole). The Sun echoes that sense of drama, describing a "nervy shootout victory" on a cold night at Anfield that saw the hosts secure their fifth penalty shootout win over Chelsea down the years (The Sun).
On the goals, Sky Sports notes that Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo were on the scoresheet as the sides were level after normal time, setting up the dramatic finish (Sky Sports). The Evening Standard adds that the scores were already level at the break, with a pair of penalties shared before the tie eventually went the distance - a staggering 20 spot-kicks in total before Liverpool came out on top (Evening Standard).
Where all four reports are in full agreement is on the identity of Chelsea's fall guy: Wesley Fofana. The Sun brands it a "horror show" from the defender in the shootout (The Sun), while Sky Sports and the Evening Standard both single out his missed spot-kick as the crucial moment that sent Chelsea crashing out (Evening Standard) (Sky Sports). It's a tough one for Fofana to take, but shootouts are a cruel way to lose and plenty of Chelsea players will have felt they let a good chance slip at Anfield.
For Chelsea, there will be disappointment at missing out on a cup run that might have brought some much-needed silverware pressure relief, but attention will now quickly turn back to the Premier League. The Blues can put this one behind them with a big home game against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on the horizon, while Chelsea Women are also back in action against Charlton Athletic Women shortly after.
There's no suggestion from any of the reports of lasting fallout beyond the result itself - no mention of injuries or further repercussions - so this will simply be filed away as one of those nights where fine margins in a shootout went against Chelsea.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.