Jordan Henderson was on the receiving end of a Liverpool beating on Wednesday as his Chelsea side crashed out of the Carabao Cup on penalties at Anfield.

Henderson was booed by the home crowd during the match, with many unhappy at both his decision to join one of their biggest domestic rivals and then his behaviour during the match, where he chose to harangue referee Darren England at any given opportunity.

The former Liverpool captain was clearly looking for his moment in the sun having nominated himself as Chelsea’s fifth penalty taker, but was denied it by some top goalkeeping from Giorgi Mamardashvili and some wasteful spot-kicks from his teammates.

Despite the bad blood earlier in the game, Henderson remains a Liverpool legend, and, as journalist Simon Johnson noted, he showed his appreciation for the Anfield crowd after the game, applauding the stands. However, sadly for the Chelsea man, the gesture was totally ignored.

Liverpool fans ignore Henderson applause

There is little question that Henderson is a frustrating player for opposition fans to watch their team play against. Having employed him for 12 years, Liverpool supporters perhaps did not see this. On Wednesday, they could not miss it.

Henderson had a good game generally, and was one of Chelsea’s better players, but he was constantly in the ear of England, and seemed intent on getting Liverpool players punished for minor infringements.

It still feels wrong to see Henderson in a Chelsea shirt, especially at Anfield, and while some would have been disappointed to hear such a storied former player on the receiving end of boos, it is understandable that others would feel differently.

In fairness to Henderson he did not celebrate his penalty after scoring in front of the Kop, and the 36-year-old would likely have kept it just as classy had Chelsea come away on the right side of the result. Nevertheless, just as he did when he upped sticks and left abruptly for Saudi Arabia in 2024, Henderson has made his bed by joining the Blues. It was never going to be a comfortable night for him at Anfield.