Liverpool advanced to the League Cup quarter-finals after a thrilling penalty shoot-out with Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night. The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, setting up a dramatic climax that saw the Reds prevail from the spot.

Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea the lead from the penalty spot in the 40th minute after Ryan Gravenberch fouled Moises Caicedo. Cody Gakpo levelled matters three minutes before the interval when he converted Liverpool's own penalty following Wesley Fofana's handball.

The shoot-out proved decisive as both sides found the back of the net repeatedly. Valentin Barco hit the post for Chelsea while Kostas Tsimikas blazed over for Liverpool, keeping tensions high throughout.

Giorgi Mamardashvili made a crucial save to deny Emmanuel Emegha before Joe Gomez scored for the hosts. Fofana's wild effort handed Liverpool the advantage they needed to progress.

The victory marked a revenge of sorts between childhood friends and rival managers. Xabi Alonso, now leading Chelsea, fell to defeat at Anfield for the third time as a manager, having previously lost there with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024 and Real Madrid in 2025.

Andoni Iraola made seven changes to his Liverpool side after the 2-0 win against Brighton on Sunday. Alonso tinkered less, making just four alterations following Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Tottenham at home on Saturday.

Both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot reached the League Cup final in their opening seasons at Liverpool, and Iraola now looks positioned to emulate that achievement. Liverpool have won the competition 10 times previously.

At Manchester City, the defending champions needed a penalty shoot-out to survive Brighton's determined challenge at the Etihad. The match finished 2-2 after a gripping encounter.

Malick Yalcouye put Brighton ahead after 30 minutes, steering Georginio Rutter's effort beyond Geronimo Rulli from five yards out. Mateo Kovacic restored parity 20 minutes later with a superb curled finish from 25 yards.

Rutter restored Brighton's lead just after the restart, tapping in from Jaouen Hadjam's cut-back. Vitor Reis levelled again when he deflected Rayan Cherki's free-kick home in the 72nd minute.

The shoot-out proved decisive for City, with Rulli emerging as the hero. He denied Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk to send the holders into the last eight, though Mateo Kovacic's spot-kick was saved by Jason Steele.

Enzo Maresca rested a host of stars including Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Gianluigi Donnarumma. City made nine changes following their 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday, which ended their perfect Premier League record.

The two sides will renew acquaintances in the Premier League at the Etihad on Saturday.

Bournemouth continued their remarkable form with a 3-0 demolition of Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries followed up their 3-0 Europa League win against AC Milan with a similar scoreline at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.