Liverpool Lunchtime Round-Up, Thursday 29th October 2026: Reds Edge Chelsea on Penalties to Reach Carabao Cup Quarter-Finals
Plenty to enjoy from Anfield this morning after Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties in the Carabao Cup to reach the quarter-finals, with Xabi Alonso enduring another difficult return to Merseyside (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com). Andoni Iraola was praised for giving a rousing team talk to his young squad before the shootout win, with the youngsters repaying his faith in them (Liverpool.com). This Is Anfield describe it as another "significant win" for Iraola as he continues "restoring personality" to the side (This Is Anfield), while Iraola himself pointed to Giorgi Mamardashvili's role in showing that the balance of his lineup is paying off (This Is Anfield).
Joe Gomez stepped up to score the decisive spot-kick and has since sent a six-word message reacting to his moment in the spotlight, with BBC Sport's Abigail Rudkin writing movingly on what the penalty meant to her as a fan (BBC Sport) (Liverpool Echo). Cody Gakpo also scored from the spot in normal time and the shootout, and said afterwards that "everybody in the stands knows" the role Anfield's atmosphere played, with LiverpoolFC.com's piece echoing how the ground is giving us energy nobody thought they had (Liverpool Echo) (LiverpoolFC.com). Florian Wirtz, however, found himself under fresh criticism for a frustrating moment before the shootout despite the win (Liverpool.com).
Virgil van Dijk spoke of a returning feel-good factor at Liverpool under Iraola and explained the bizarre shove incident involving Emmanuel Emegha, while also setting out what he sees as the club's next aim under the head coach (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com). Fans also picked up on some lighter moments from the night, including a bit of "karma" for Van Dijk's shove and Trey Nyoni's performance, with Rio Ngumoha hailing his teammate by saying "the sky is the limit" and "you guys haven't even seen" the best of him yet (This Is Anfield) (This Is Anfield).
Looking ahead, Liverpool now turn to Sunday's big Premier League clash with Arsenal at Anfield, with Andy Madley confirmed as referee for his first "big six" fixture in over two years (Liverpool Echo) (This Is Anfield). Iraola will also be hoping to have some injured players back in time for that game (Liverpool.com). In cup news, Liverpool have been drawn against Iraola's former club Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, with the Reds boss joking "the only team I don't want is Bournemouth," while This Is Anfield note it could offer a welcome festive fixture boost (BBC Sport) (This Is Anfield).
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