The Merseyside club secured their spot in the next round of the domestic competition by edging past Chelsea 6-5 in a tense penalty shootout at Anfield. The tactical battle between childhood friends turned managers Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso ultimately favored the hosts, who managed to withstand late pressure from the London side.

Normal time ended in a 1-1 deadlock, forcing the match into the decisive shootout phase. Morgan Rogers had initially opened the scoring for the visitors from the penalty spot just before the interval, only for Cody Gakpo to equalize swiftly with a well-taken penalty of his own.

For the visiting manager, the defeat marks his third consecutive loss at Anfield in various managerial capacities, raising fresh questions about his squad's consistency. Meanwhile, the European regime's domestic fixture congestion continues to test squad depth, though the coaching staff insists that league commitments remain the absolute priority for the season.

Source: www.aljazeera.com