Liverpool Beat Chelsea on Penalties, Then Draw Their Old Boss's Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup Last Eight
Fofana's miss sent Liverpool through at Anfield, City needed spot-kicks against Brighton, and Fleetwood wait on Everton or Newcastle after knocking out Arsenal.
Thursday, October 29, 2026/2 min read
Liverpool's Carabao Cup night ended with Wesley Fofana blazing his penalty into the Kop and the home crowd roaring. The hosts beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties at Anfield after a 1-1 draw, ESPN reported, and the quarter-final draw that followed gave them a tie against the club their own manager used to run.
How did Liverpool beat Chelsea?
The game was settled from the spot twice over. Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead from a penalty in the 38th minute after Ryan Gravenberch fouled Moises Caicedo. Cody Gakpo levelled, also from the spot, in the closing minutes of the first half after a Fofana handball at a corner, according to the Liverpool FC match report. The attendance was 60,214.
Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Chelsea debutant Emmanuel Emegha's attempt in the shootout, and Fofana's miss ended it. Chelsea's Mike Penders had made saves from Ronald Araujo and Gakpo in the game, and Chelsea were without the suspended Cole Palmer.
It was a night with a lot riding on it for both sides. Liverpool had won five straight games, with Alexander Isak scoring six goals in seven Premier League matches, while Chelsea arrived off a defeat to Spurs. Florian Wirtz, who went off against Brighton, was available and came on in the second half. Chelsea were also missing João Pedro, who is out for weeks with a thigh injury.
Who plays whom in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals?
The draw, published by Sky Sports on Thursday, produced these ties:
- Liverpool v Bournemouth
- Manchester City v Bradford City
- Crystal Palace v Sunderland
- Fleetwood Town v the winner of Everton v Newcastle United
Liverpool's manager, Andoni Iraola, who previously coached Bournemouth, had said before the draw: "The only team that I don't want is Bournemouth." He got them. Bournemouth beat Aston Villa 3-0 on Wednesday.
All four ties will be played in the week beginning 14 December. The semi-finals are in the weeks of 11 January and 1 February, and the final is on Sunday 21 March, Goal reported.
What were the other fourth-round results?
Manchester City drew 2-2 with Brighton and won the shootout 4-3. Bradford City, a League One side, beat Peterborough United 2-0 and now travel to the Etihad. Crystal Palace won 1-0 at Fulham thanks to Eddie Nketiah, and Sunderland beat Brentford 3-2 at the Stadium of Light after leading 3-1, with Brentford scoring in stoppage time.
The biggest story of the round was Arsenal's exit at Fleetwood, a 1-1 draw settled 5-3 on penalties. Fleetwood now get a home tie against a Premier League side, and learn their opponent when Everton and Newcastle play on Thursday night.
For Liverpool, the next job is a league fixture list that does not pause. The Bournemouth tie is not until December, which leaves weeks for Iraola to plan against the team he knows best.
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