Carabao Cup: Liverpool edge Chelsea 6-5 on penalties as quarter-final draw pairs them with Bournemouth
Liverpool survived a marathon shootout against Chelsea at Anfield, then drew Bournemouth in the last eight. Everton v Newcastle completes the round tonight.
Liverpool are into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after beating Chelsea 6-5 in a long penalty shootout at Anfield on Wednesday night, following a 1-1 draw in which both goals came from the spot. Andoni Iraola's side learned their next opponent within the hour: Bournemouth, who thrashed Aston Villa 3-0 on the same evening. One fourth-round tie is still to be played, with Everton hosting Newcastle United tonight UK time for a quarter-final against Fleetwood Town, who knocked out Arsenal.
Two penalties in three minutes at Anfield
Chelsea struck first just before the break, with Morgan Rogers converting a penalty after Ryan Gravenberch fouled Moises Caicedo. Liverpool answered almost straight away. Wesley Fofana handled while trying to block a Virgil van Dijk header from a corner, and Cody Gakpo scored the second penalty of the night to make it 1-1.
Neither side found a winner over the rest of the match, so it went straight to penalties. The shootout went well into sudden death, with goalkeepers Giorgi Mamardashvili and Mike Penders each making a save. Fofana's night ended badly when he sent his kick over the bar, which put Liverpool through. Xabi Alonso's Chelsea were already without the suspended Cole Palmer and the injured João Pedro.
City and Sunderland also through in thrillers
Manchester City needed penalties too. Brighton led twice through Malick Yalcouyé and Georginio Rutter, but goals from Mateo Kovačić and Vitor Reis, the second deflected in from a Rayan Cherki free-kick, made it 2-2. City then won the shootout 4-3.
Sunderland beat Brentford 3-2 at the Stadium of Light. Chemsdine Talbi, Timur Tutierov and Malick Fofana scored for the hosts, while Callum Wilson and a stoppage-time goal from Igor Thiago kept Brentford in it until the end.
Bournemouth were the most convincing winners of the night. Amine Adli scored in the seventh minute, Lewis Cook added a second early in the second half, and Álvaro Rodríguez completed a 3-0 win over Aston Villa. At Craven Cottage, Eddie Nketiah's first-half goal gave Crystal Palace a 1-0 win over Fulham.
The quarter-final draw
These ties had already been settled on Tuesday: Fleetwood knocked out Arsenal on penalties and Bradford City beat Peterborough United 2-0. The quarter-final draw was made after the Liverpool game:
- Fleetwood Town v Everton or Newcastle United
- Manchester City v Bradford City
- Crystal Palace v Sunderland
- Liverpool v Bournemouth
The quarter-finals are scheduled for the week beginning 14 December 2026. Fleetwood and Bradford are the only clubs from outside the Premier League left in the competition. One of them now goes to the Etihad, and the other is at home to Premier League opposition.
Everton v Newcastle in Malaysia time
Everton and Newcastle kick off at 7.45pm UK time on Thursday 29 October, which is 3.45am on Friday 30 October in Malaysia. The two clubs meet again quickly, as Newcastle host Everton in the Premier League on Monday 2 November.
Key takeaways
- Liverpool drew 1-1 with Chelsea and won the shootout 6-5, with both goals in normal time coming from penalties.
- Manchester City (4-3 on penalties v Brighton), Sunderland (3-2 v Brentford), Bournemouth (3-0 v Aston Villa) and Crystal Palace (1-0 at Fulham) also went through.
- Quarter-finals: Fleetwood v Everton/Newcastle, Man City v Bradford, Palace v Sunderland, Liverpool v Bournemouth.
- Everton v Newcastle kicks off at 3.45am Friday Malaysia time.
FAQ
Q: Who scored in Liverpool v Chelsea? Both goals were penalties. Morgan Rogers scored for Chelsea and Cody Gakpo equalised for Liverpool a few minutes later, late in the first half.
Q: When are the Carabao Cup quarter-finals? They are scheduled for the week beginning 14 December 2026. The exact days for each tie have not yet been confirmed.
Q: Which tie is still to be played in the fourth round? Everton v Newcastle United, on Thursday 29 October at 7.45pm UK time (3.45am Friday in Malaysia). The winner plays Fleetwood Town away.
Sources: ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Liverpool FC, Dave, Sports Illustrated