Equalizing 3-3 after being led by two goals in official time, Liverpool beat Leicester 5-4 by penalty shootout in the quarter-finals of the English League Cup on the evening of December 22.
Both teams kicked in in the first three 11m kicks. Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher then played the hero of Liverpool's side, successfully stopping both Leicester City's next two kicks. He fell to the left to deny Luke Thomas's shot in the fourth round, and continued to block Ryan Bertrand's right kick in the sixth. In between, Takumi Minamino missed the opportunity to finish Leicester City when he shot over the bar in the fifth shot.
Kelleher's two saves helped Liverpool reach the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time since the 2016-2017 season. Four years ago, Liverpool unexpectedly lost to Southampton 0-2 after two legs. In the semi-finals this season, they will meet Arsenal - the club beat Sunderland 5-1 in the first quarter-final. The other match is the London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham.
Coach Klopp gives opportunities to many young and reserve players, such as 18-year-old right-back Conor Bradley, left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas, 19-year-old midfielder Tyler Morton, and striker duo Minamino and Neco Williams. Meanwhile, coach Brendan Rodgers launched a strong squad, with James Maddison and Jamie Vardy in attack.
It was this attacking duo that helped Leicester lead 3-1 in the first half. In the 9th minute, Maddison created an assist for Vardy to penetrate the penalty area and then hit Kelleher at the corner. Four minutes later, the English striker completed a brace with the ball into an empty net, after Patson Daka's cross. In the 33rd minute, it was Maddison's turn to shoot, with a cannon shot from a distance of nearly 30 meters, tossing the roof of the home net.
Interspersed between the two goals of Vardy and Maddison is Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal to shorten the score. In the 19th minute, Roberto Firmino released the ball for the former Arsenal midfielder to cross from the second line, finishing at a powerful angle. Leicester were able to lead three goals after half-time, but Vardy hit the post again when facing Kelleher in the 38th minute.
In the second half, coach Klopp in turn launched the pillars like Ibrahima Konate, Diogo Jota, James Milner and Naby Keita into the field. These changes helped Liverpool regain the game and create countless opportunities. In the 68th minute, Minamino created a touch for Jota to penetrate the penalty area before finishing with a powerful left foot to defeat Schmeichel.
The climax was pushed up in the fifth minute of overtime. Wilfred Ndidi misjudged the drop and missed Milner's cross, creating conditions for Minamino to comfortably finish in the penalty area, the ball went diagonally and out of reach of Schmeichel.
On December 26, Liverpool received Leeds in round 19 of the English Premier League, before rematching Leicester at King Power two days later.
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