Liverpool edge Arsenal in penalty shootout after ten-goal thriller in the Carabao Cup
Liverpool edged Arsenal in a penalty shootout after a ten-goal thriller in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup at Anfield.
The Reds went in front early through a Shkodran Mustafi own goal before Arsenal’s brilliant response guided by Mesut Ozil, making only his third start of the season.
READ MORE: Unai Emery: 'Ozil played with spirit' in Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool
Lucas Torreira restored parity, before an excellent double by Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli put the away side firmly in control.
James Milner pulled one back before half-time from the penalty spot, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles made it 4-2 ten minutes after the restart.
Liverpool came back through two stunning strikes. The first from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from 22 yards out before Divok Origi brought the two sides level.
Joe Willock gave Arsenal the lead once again with an outrageous curling effort but for Origi to snatch an equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time to take the game straight to penalties.
Caoimhin Kelleher saved Dani Ceballos' penalty in the bottom right corner before Curtis Jones sealed a 5-4 shootout win to send Liverpool through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Both Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery made 11 changes ahead of kick-off with the biggest of those Mesut Ozil starting for just the third time this season.
Gunners captain Granit Xhaka was not in the squad after he was booed when he came off the pitch against Crystal Palace at the weekend, prompting him to cup his ear as he walked past Emery and storm down the tunnel.
The Premier League leaders went ahead after just six minutes through an own goal. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put in a low cross and Shkodran Mustafi, trying to clear in front of Rhian Brewster, turned into his own knee and in to the back of the net.
Arsenal were level 13 minutes later and Ozil played a big part in it. The German picked out Bukayo Saka in space, before his shot was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher and Lucas Torreira put in the rebound.
He looked like he could have been in an offside position but there was no VAR to make any intervention.
Arsenal made it 2-1 in the 26th minute. Ainsley Maitland-Niles' cross was deflected on goal, Kelleher made a sharp one-handed save but Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli was there to smash it into the roof of the net and take the lead.
Martinelli, making his fourth start for Arsenal, bagged his seventh goal for the Gunners as they took a two goal lead after just 35 minutes.
Harvey Elliott’s misplaced pass to Joe Gomez was picked up by Ozil, he found Saka, who squared it to the 18-year-old who then slammed home to make it 3-1.
Brewster and Liverpool felt like they should have had a penalty and maybe they would have done if VAR was in use, after his cross come shot hit the hand of Hector Bellerin.
They did have a penalty moments later when Harvey Elliott went down under minimal contact and referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot. James Milner stepped up and converted to reduce the deficit in an eventful first half at Anfield.
There were chances at either end before the half-time whistle with Martinelli mistiming his header before Divock Origi headed over moments later.
The game restarted with a similar tempo to that of the first with Ainsley Maitland-Niles getting his name on the scoresheet and restoring Arsenal’s two goal lead.
A rare Milner mistake put Maitland-Niles in on goal, he knocked it wide of Kelleher and with the ball is running out for a goal-kick, Ozil kept it in brilliantly with a backheel into the path of the 22-year-old who buried it.
Oxlade-Chamberlain wasted no time in getting one back for the Reds, nipping in front of Maitland-Niles to steal the ball and then smash home from 22 yards with a sensational hit. 4-3.
Liverpool were level with just over an hour played with another beauty of a strike. This time it was Divok Origi who picked up the ball from Curtis Jones, turned his man and unleashed an emphatic strike towards goal. The keeper got a hand on it but couldn’t stop it nestling in the roof of the net.
Ozil, in a decision which wouldn’t have made the away fans happy, made way for Matteo Guendouzi before Unai Emery’s Arsenal took the lead once again.
Joe Willock was allowed to run through the middle before hitting an outrageous curling effort which flew into the top corner to make it 5-4.
Origi sent the game to penalties after finding the equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time hookinga volley into the back of the net on the turn.
Hector Bellerin put the first from the spot into the top corner before Milner smashed one just right of centre.
The shootout continued in that fashion with Guendouzi, Lallana, Martinelli and Brewster all finding the back of the net, before Dani Ceballos saw his penalty denied by a great save from Kelleher.
Origi made it advantage Liverpool, before Maitland-Niles made it 4-4, meaning Jones had to score.
The 18-year-old stepped up, smashed in off the post to put Liverpool into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
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