Gomez and Mamardashvili star as Liverpool edge Chelsea on penalties
Liverpool booked their place in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Chelsea at Anfield, and the story of the night belonged to Joe Gomez and Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The Liverpool Echo's player ratings single out Gomez and "one other" as the standout 8/10 performers of the evening (Liverpool Echo), while This Is Anfield go further, naming both Gomez and Mamardashvili as the top-rated players for their roles in the "penalty heroics" (This Is Anfield). It was Gomez who stepped up to take the decisive spot-kick, and Liverpool.com reports that manager Andoni Iraola said he had a "feeling" about the defender when he saw him walk up to the ball, showing just how much faith the Liverpool boss had in him (Liverpool.com).
At the other end, Mamardashvili was the hero in goal, and ESPN carries his admission that the research notes he had been given on Chelsea's takers before the shootout "were wrong" (ESPN) - making his saves all the more impressive given he was working against faulty information. This Is Anfield add that Iraola believes the Georgian goalkeeper's performance is proof that the squad's "balance" in selection is paying off (This Is Anfield), suggesting the manager sees the win as vindication of his broader team-building approach rather than just a one-off cup night.
Gomez himself was in a playful mood afterwards. The Liverpool Echo reports he sent a "six-word message" reacting to his decisive penalty, with a "major question" being asked about whether it should count on his overall record (Liverpool Echo). Liverpool.com picks up on this too, with Gomez joking about a "quirky fact" that could end up overshadowing his Liverpool career - the idea that this spot-kick came after 319 appearances without scoring a goal for the club (Liverpool.com), so there is some debate over whether a shootout penalty should go down as his first.
Away from the pitch, BBC Sport offers a different angle entirely, exploring why Gomez's penalty meant so much to one Liverpool supporter, Abigail Rudkin, showing just how much this moment resonated with the fanbase beyond the result itself (BBC Sport).
Altogether, it was a famous night at Anfield built on goalkeeping heroics and an unlikely matchwinner in defence, with Liverpool now able to look ahead to their big Premier League test against Arsenal.
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.