Chelsea vs. Liverpool result from Wembley: Reds win Carabao Cup after Kepa penalty shootout drama

Raj Singh Mahil

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Chelsea vs. Liverpool result from Wembley: Reds win Carabao Cup after Kepa penalty shootout drama image

The first piece of silverware of the English football season has gone to Liverpool, who defeated Chelsea in a dramatic penalty shootout here at Wembley Stadium, in the Carabao Cup final. 

Jurgen Klopp clinched his first domestic cup triumph as Liverpool boss, having lost his only previous final — the 2016-17 Carabao Cup final against Manchester City. 

Chelsea, meanwhile, extended an awful recent record in Wembley finals, which has now surprisingly seen the Blues lose 10 of their last 11 showpiece occasions across the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Community Shield. 

The Blues are of course in the middle of a rollercoaster few weeks, which has seen the new highs of winning the FIFA Club World Cup, and the uncertainty over their structure following Roman Abramovich’s handing over of the club amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

MORE: UEFA move Champions League final to Paris

Nothing could separate the teams across 120 minutes, with both sides having a host of chances. At one end, Edouard Mendy was the savior for Chelsea, denying the Reds on multiple occasions brilliantly. Liverpool did get the ball in the net, too, but the wild celebrations in the stands for Joel Matip's second half header were cut short by a VAR check. 

In the opposite box, Mason Mount was the man at the heart of the Blues' best chances, but missed twice when he should've converted. Christian Pulisic also squandered a gilt-edged early opportunity. Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner were introduced to turn the screw, but a couple of offside goals meant it remained scoreless. 

To penalties it went, and the narrative was a thing of beauty. Kepa Arrizabalaga - the goalkeeper who refused to be substituted off by Maurizio Sarri in almost identical circumstances in the 2018-19 Carabao Cup final - came on for Mendy as a spot-kick specialist. 

Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea in the EFL Cup final
Getty Images

All 10 outfielders on both teams converted their penalties, with Kepa and Caoimhin Kelleher powerless. The two men then stepped up to the spot themselves. Kelleher slotted it home, whereas Kepa skied his, sending the Liverpool fans behind that goal delirious. 

For Liverpool, attention will now turn to whether they can win an unprecedented quadruple. Part one is done. They are back in the title race, have a commanding lead in their Champions League round-of-16 tie and have seen fellow FA Cup contenders Arsenal and Manchester United go out early. This could well be the season of all seasons for Klopp. 

Recap the action below, with Sporting News stationed at the home of football, Wembley Stadium. 

Chelsea vs. Liverpool result

  1H 2H ET Final
Chelsea 0 0 0 0
Liverpool 0 0 0 0

Chelsea vs. Liverpool as-it-happened

LIVERPOOL ARE THE 2021-22 CARABAO CUP WINNERS! 

11th penalties: Kelleher scores a smashed penalty into the top corner, but Kepa misses! It had to be! Narrative dictates. Liverpool win!

10th penalties: Kepa gets a hand to Konate's effort but it still goes in. Chalobah scores as well, so we're onto the goalkeepers themselves! 10-10. 

9th penalties: Elliott and Thiago Silva convert. 9-9. 

8th penalties: Robertson smashes his and gets the crowd going, before Kelleher agonizingly gets a touch to Werner's but it sneaks in. 8-8.

7th penalties: Origi and Kante do the business too. Goalkeepers getting nowhere near so far! 7-7. 

6th penalties: Jota and Rudiger both handle the pressure. 6-6. 

5th penalties: Up for the potential decider are the penalty kings. Salah buries his, and then Jorginho cheekily dinks it. 5-5. 

4th penalties: A pair of English full-backs, Alexander-Arnold and James, both convert. 4-4. 

3rd penalties: Van Dijk and Havertz both score. 3-3. 

2nd penalties: Fabinho nonchalantly chips it in. Lukaku handles the deafening jeers to put his in too. 2-2. 

1st penalties: Kicking at the Liverpool supporters' end, Milner, Mr. Reliable, converts. So does Alonso. 1-1. 

EXTRA TIME FULL-TIME: Penalties it is! Lukaku's disallowed goal nearly sent the Blues through, but instead we have a shootout.

ET 29th min: Here he comes! Kepa is indeed on for the shootout! 

ET 28th min: Robertson puts the ball nicely into the path of Jota, who fluffs his lines on an increasingly-rare Liverpool attack. 

ET 27th min: It looks like Kepa is getting ready to be substituted on! Mendy has arguably been Man of the Match, but the Spaniard is Chelsea's shootout master. 

ET 23rd min: Klopp, a few yards outside of his technical area, is gesticulating wildly as his side fail to create any sort of concerted pressure. 

ET 19th min: Offside! Again the ball is in the net, and again it's correctly ruled out. This time Havertz thought he had timed his run before a neat finish with his left foot across goal, but it was a fraction too early. 

ET 16th min: Penalty specialist alert! Chelsea's regular taker, Jorginho, comes off the bench for Kovacic as the final period kicks off. 

ET HALF-TIME: Another 15 minutes which strengthen the argument of extra-time being a frankly pointless exercise. 

ET 16th min: Alexander-Arnold and Havertz square-up needlessly and both pick up a yellow at the end of the half. 

ET 14th min: The game is petering out a little. Liverpool keep looking for Salah on the right, but it simply hasn't been his day, with Chelsea doubling up on the talisman well. 

ET 8th min: Offside! Lukaku looks to have found his mojo, shifting Van Dijk and slotting the ball home, but a very tight decision goes in the Reds' favor. 

ET 7th min: Liverpool's clutch player, the man for the big moment, Divock Origi, is on. He replaces Diaz, who has really been excellent today. 

ET 6th min: Chelsea spend a couple of minutes in command and slowly building, but there's a lack of cutting edge now. The latest one ends in Kante skying the ball. 

ET 1st min: Extra-time is now in session, and so is Ibrahima Konate, who has come on for Matip. 

FULL-TIME: It's somehow goalless, and we are going to an extra half-hour, potentially before penalties. 

95th min: Chance for Lukaku, whose flick at the near post is well saved by Kelleher!

94th min: Fouls and breaks in play are the order of the day now, as we head towards extra-time. 

90th min: Mendy to the rescue yet again! This time Van Dijk's effort is saved. We're now into the six minutes of added time. 

89th min: Kovacic cynically grabs hold of Salah as the Egyptian is sprinting forward on the break, and rightfully goes into the referee's notebook. 

85th min: Goalmouth scramble, as Mendy denies both Diaz and Matip! 

82nd min: An announcement comes over the loudspeaker to promote a new flavor of Carabao - roundly booed by both sets of fans. Obviously the 'mixed berry' is an acquired taste...

79th min: A lesser-spotted triple change by Klopp - Henderson, Mane and Keita off for Elliott, Jota and Milner. 

78th min: Offside! Havertz thinks he's scored with a header at the back post, after a cross from Werner, but the flag is up. 

75th min: Diaz has a chance to write his name in Liverpool history very early on in his career, but squanders it. One-on-one, he hits it at Mendy after bearing down from the left flank.  

73rd min: Mount, who should've had Chelsea two up, is replaced by Lukaku. Werner is also on, for American star Pulisic. A statement of intent from Tuchel. 

70th min: Diaz whips the crowd up into a frenzy, just after he wins another corner down the left flank. Despite the goal being ruled out, the Reds seem to be feeling it now. 

69th min: VAR! The goal is ruled out! A check on the monitor and it's called offside. The Chelsea fans celebrate wildly, amid red smoke from the Liverpool flares. We're back to 0-0. 

67th min: GOAL! Liverpool take the lead! Alexander-Arnold's free-kick reaches Mane at the back stick, who heads it back across to Matip. The center back can't miss and he makes it 1-0. 

64th min: Massive chance for Liverpool! A poor Mendy pass goes to Fabinho, with cries of 'shoot' from the fans in red behind his net as the goalkeeper was stranded outside the area, but the Brazilian plays it onto Mane. He gives it to Salah, who dinks it over Mendy, but the slow ball is cleared off the line by Thiago Silva! 

60th min: Chalobah is down, after Keita catches him full-on with his studs, in a 'delicate' area. This looks painful. 

58th min: Mount is in down the left, playing a nice one-two with Havertz but the Englishman is again denied by Kelleher. 

56th min: Chelsea captain Azpilicueta is forced off through injury, meaning Reece James comes off the bench to make his own long-awaited return to the side.

54th min: Liverpool fans get excited for the first time this half, as Diaz's pace and trickery down the left sees him win a corner. It comes to nothing, though. 

51st min: Mendy is receiving treatment after being caught by Mane. It feels like everyone needs this breather to recover from the shock of Mount's back-to-back misses either side of half-time. With Chelsea cutting through, will Tuchel bring on firepower in the form of Werner or Lukaku soon? 

49th min: How have Chelsea not scored?! Yet another ball over the top is chested down by Mount in an unbelievable amount of space in the box, but his effort hits the post and comes back out! 

48th min: Havertz zips a teasing ball across the face of goal, but is evades strikers and defenders alike! 

46th min: The second half is underway with Chelsea on the front foot. 

HALF-TIME: It's 0-0 at the break. Mendy to thank at one end; poor finishing at the other. 

44th min: Wow! Another gilt-edged Chelsea opportunity goes begging. This time, Pulisic drives through the Reds' core, gives it to Havertz, who cleverly tees up Mount on the volley - but he puts it wide. 

38th min: Another Pulisic shot hit straight at Kelleher, while Liverpool fans begin to turn on the referee. They're not happy at all with the way decisions have gone over the last few minutes, feeling two free-kicks and a corner should've come their way. 

35th min: Havertz, the final specialist, is clean through on goal with only Kelleher to beat, and puts it wide! Chelsea fans were getting restless just leading into that break, as Liverpool begin camping out in the Blues' half. 

30th min: Mendy to the rescue! Keita denied by the Senegalese from distance, and then compatriot Mane's follow-up while bearing down on goal is somehow kept out! Diaz, who is loving a no-look pass on the left flank having now done three of them, key in that passage. 

28th min: Liverpool are building. The last few minutes have been promising - a couple of corners, a couple of half-chances, a moment of Salah genius and generally getting closer to the killer pass. 

24th min: The first bit of slight controversy, as Mount gets a flailing elbow to the face while on the break, from Keita. Chelsea fans obviously calling for a card, but nothing brandished. 

22nd min: It's laid off by Alexander-Arnold, but Salah blasts the shot wide. The injection of pace in the previous foray was much needed, though. 

21st min: Diaz gets the crowd on their feet with a sublime first touch to pick a ball out of the air. The move doesn't quite end in a decent effort, but the Reds do now have a presentable free-kick. 

18th min: Not quite as golden a chance as Pulisic had, but Mane should do better in the center of the penalty area. Alexander-Arnold puts in a typically-brilliant lofted pass, which is met by a poor header. 

16th min: Kovacic plays a beautiful ball in behind down the left for Havertz, but the attack comes to nothing. At the other end, the Reds get in down their left for the second time, with Chalobah looking like he can be targeted by Mane and Diaz here. 

13th min: Delay in play and a slight worry for Tuchel as Thiago Silva is down with an injury. 

10th min: Chelsea looking the more confident team here, starting to play some good stuff. Two balls make into the area, but dealt with by Matip and Robertson. 

6th min: Huge chance for Chelsea! Azpilicueta plays in Pulisic brilliantly, but the American fails to convert from just a few yards out. He hits it straight at the goalkeeper. Let off for the Reds. 

5th min: Liverpool make inroads for the first time, but Salah is unable to wriggle past the four Chelsea defenders swarming him onb the edge of the area.

3rd min: A cagey opening few minutes. Off the field, Liverpool fans enjoying their first trip here in five years. 

KICK-OFF: We're underway in the battle for the season's first silverware!

11:29am: Wembley is ready to go!

11:20am: A late change in the Liverpool lineup, as Thiago pulls out through injury. Naby Keita comes into the midfield. 

11:15am: For Thomas Tuchel, today represents his fifth final in just over a year in charge of Chelsea; a figure almost beyond belief. So far, he's won three internationally, but lost his only domestic final to Leicester City in the FA Cup last season. 

11:00am: Half an hour to go. Both teams going through their warmups on a sunny day in North London. Liverpool fans greeted the Blues boys with a cacophony of boos, as you'd expect. Chelsea fans trickling in a lot more slowly, naturally with the short trip across the capital. 

10:40am: New signing Luis Diaz gets the start on the big stage. As for Chelsea, the inclusion of Edouard Mendy in goal is slightly surprising, given Kepa is the domestic cup 'keeper. Record signing Romelu Lukaku on the bench after his recent struggles. 

10:30am: Both teams are in... 

10:25am: These sides have met once before with the League Cup at stake, back in 2004/05 when the final was played in Cardiff while Wembley was being rebuilt. In a game best known for Jose Mourinho 'shushing' the Liverpool fans, the Blues won a dramatic encounter 3-2 after extra-time. 

10:20am: Today marks a return to the Carabao Cup final for Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who infamously refused to be substituted ahead of the penalty shootout in the 2018/19 defeat to Manchester City. 

10:10am: Meanwhile, Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta is relishing the chance to lift the Carabao Cup again, not content with racking up every major trophy on offer. The Spain international said: "We all dream about days like these. It's a real privilege and honor to lead the team on such a big day. Wembley's such a special place. I get the same feeling from winning now as when I started." 

10:00am: We're 90 minutes away from the 90 minutes. In his programme notes, Virgil van Dijk took a philosophical view on missing the 2016/17 Carabao Cup final due to injury: "To me, everything happens for a reason. It has led me to today. Luckily, I've got some more trophies to my name since then. I'm really excited to be back at Wembley and want to get my hands on the Carabao Cup."

9:30am: Welcome to Sporting News' live coverage from Wembley Stadium. The crowd is slowly making their way up Wembley Way, as the Reds and Blues face off for the right to be the Carabao Cup's first winner not called Manchester City in five years. 

Raj Singh Mahil

Raj Singh Mahil Photo

Raj Singh Mahil joined The Sporting News as Chief Editor in 2021, leading the UK editorial team. He was previously North America and Global Chief Editor at DAZN.