Xabi Alonso was encouraged by Chelsea’s performance at Anfield despite their penalty shootout defeat to Liverpool ending their Carabao Cup campaign, insisting his side must quickly put the disappointment behind them and turn their attention to Manchester United.
Chelsea were eliminated in the fourth round on Wednesday after a closely contested encounter finished 1-1 in normal time. Morgan Rogers converted from the penalty spot for Liverpool, while Cody Gakpo equalized for the visitors. Neither side could find a winner before the tie went to a shootout, where Liverpool prevailed in sudden death.
“For sure, the outcome is not what we wanted,” Alonso said after the game. “It's not what we expected before the game. Once you reach penalties, there's going to be a sad side.
“It is us in this case, but I have to say that during the game we played at a very good competitive level, it was a good performance. We showed an improvement, I would say. That's what we wanted.”
The Chelsea head coach highlighted his players’ courage and resilience in a game that offered few clear-cut chances, while also acknowledging the challenge of losing Max Lacroix to injury.
“We played with courage. The game was really close; it could have gone either way. There were not many chances for both sides and we have tried to overcome difficult moments as well, like Max’s injury,” Alonso added.
“It's a small setback but we need to move on. As soon as we leave Anfield, our focus is Saturday's Premier League game.”
That fixture will see Chelsea host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, with goalkeeper Mike Penders expected to retain his place amid Emiliano Martinez’s absence.
Penders produced a composed display against Liverpool and saved Ryan Gravenberch’s effort in the shootout, although it was not enough to prevent the visitors from advancing. Alonso was pleased with the Belgian’s response following the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
“He looked really solid with good composure, like he had dealt well with Saturday,” Alonso said. “That is what it takes in this job to overcome difficult situations and he did quite well.”
Alonso also offered support to Emmanuel Emegha, who made his Chelsea debut as a substitute but saw his penalty saved during the shootout. The striker was left with a difficult introduction to life at the club after his miss helped seal Chelsea’s elimination.
“It's hard to make your debut with that moment that could mean everything for him, for us,” Alonso said.
“But it is about learning from all the experiences, even like today when it was a sad one. And I said it myself, as soon as we get on the bus, I move on, I think about United.”
With their cup ambitions over for another season, Chelsea must now regroup ahead of a demanding Premier League assignment. Alonso will hope the improvement he saw at Anfield translates into a positive result against Manchester United, with kickoff scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.