Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties to reach Carabao Cup quarter-finals

Liverpool reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at Anfield on 28 October 2026, beating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The result sends Liverpool into a home quarter-final against Bournemouth, according to the Guardian’s draw listing.

How Liverpool won the shootout

The Independent reported that Chelsea missed three kicks in the shootout. Liverpool also had a chance to finish it earlier, but Kostas Tsimikas sent his penalty over the bar, the Guardian reported. With the contest still alive, the outcome came down to the later takers and goalkeepers.

Two first-half penalties left the teams level

Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead with a penalty in the first half. Cody Gakpo equalised from the spot three minutes later, according to The Independent. Those were the only goals before the shootout; neither side found a winner in the remaining minutes of normal time. Chelsea had gone into the match without João Pedro because of injury and Cole Palmer because of a suspension, The Independent reported.

The result continued Liverpool’s run of shootout wins over Chelsea. The Guardian reported that Liverpool had won all four of the clubs’ previous penalty shootouts, while The Independent said this was the third time in six seasons that Liverpool had eliminated Chelsea from the competition. Those earlier meetings give context to the result, although this match was decided by its own late sequence of misses and saves.

Liverpool’s quarter-final opponent and schedule

Liverpool will face Bournemouth in the quarter-finals at Anfield. The Guardian listed the tie among fixtures scheduled for the week commencing 14 December. Bournemouth reached the last eight with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa, according to the Guardian’s live coverage. The draw also paired Manchester City with Bradford City and Crystal Palace with Sunderland.