Xabi Alonso Calls Carabao Cup Chelsea’s Least Important Competition After Anfield Exit

• Chelsea lost a Carabao Cup fourth round tie at Liverpool 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, per Mirror.
• Xabi Alonso said the Carabao Cup is “probably the least important competition for us in the year”.
• Wesley Fofana blazed the decisive sudden death penalty into the Kop.

Alonso Writes Off the Cup While Chelsea Sit Eight Points Off the Top

Xabi Alonso has put the Carabao Cup at the bottom of Chelsea’s list. After Wednesday night’s exit at Anfield, the Chelsea manager said: “It’s a small setback in this competition. It’s probably the least important competition for us in the year, so we need to move on. And as soon as we leave Anfield, our focus is Saturday’s Premier League [game]. This is the main and the most important thing.” The tie had finished 1-1 and went to penalties. It was Chelsea’s first chance of silverware this season, and it ended when Wesley Fofana blazed the decisive sudden death penalty into the Kop.

The Night That Prompted It

Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead from the penalty spot after Ryan Gravenberch fouled Moises Caicedo. Cody Gakpo levelled three minutes later, also from the spot. Liverpool had made seven changes from the weekend, with £552million worth of talent on the bench, yet Chelsea could not find a winner in 90 minutes.

The shootout ran into sudden death. Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Emmanuel Emegha’s penalty, and Fofana then sent his effort high over the bar to end it. Liverpool have now played Chelsea in five shootouts and won every one, including the 2022 FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals.

Alonso scored for Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final, so the night was a homecoming. He never won the Carabao Cup as a player in England.

What Alonso Said About the Performance

Alonso did not hide his disappointment at the result. “Well for sure the outcome is not what we wanted. It is not what we expected before the game,” he said. “You know once you reach the penalties, there’s going to be a sad side. This is us in that case.”

He saw plenty to like in the football. “But I would say that the game we have played to a very good competitive level, good performance. We showed an improvement, I would say. That’s what we wanted.” Chelsea had gone into the match after a rare home defeat to Tottenham last weekend, a team that had won only its second league game of the season, and Alonso was looking for a reaction.

The Case Against the Shrug

Critics point to the supporters who made a 440-mile round trip on a Wednesday night to watch the loss. They also point to the winners’ list. Chelsea last won the Carabao Cup in 2015 under Jose Mourinho, and the league title followed that same season. When Mourinho won his first Premier League title a decade earlier, Chelsea had beaten Liverpool in extra time in Cardiff to win what was then the Carling Cup.

The pattern runs wider. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City dominance began with their 2018 Carabao Cup win, the first of four Wembley victories in a row. Guardiola, who has won the tournament more than anyone in history, once recalled being told on arrival at City in 2016 to ignore the competition and play the young players. Guardiola now sees it differently: “Phwoar, I don’t know what happened in the last years, it looks like the final of any competition. This is the truth. Today, everyone and every team plays for win, win, win, and win.”

Chelsea’s Season So Far

Chelsea finished 10th last season and have no European football this term, so the calendar is not crowded. Their league form is uneven. They have won four of their first eight games and sit fifth, already eight points off the top. They drew with Hull at Stamford Bridge, lost heavily at Brentford and lost at home to Tottenham. Chelsea’s last domestic honour was Antonio Conte’s FA Cup in 2018. Alonso has been reshaping the side match by match, from Josh Acheampong’s run of starts in defence.

Pedro Neto is another example: Alonso moved him to the right wing-back role. Liverpool, meanwhile, are on a fifth straight win under Andoni Iraola, who played in the same grassroots team in San Sebastian as Alonso and Mikel Arteta in the 1990s. Liverpool face Arsenal on Sunday.

What Comes Next

Chelsea’s attention turns to Saturday and the Premier League, which Alonso called the most important thing. His side sit fifth and eight points off the top, and the next result will show whether that focus pays off.

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

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