Cody Gakpo has praised the Anfield crowd after Liverpool's Carabao Cup penalty shootout victory over Xabi Alonso's Chelsea, claiming the home support gives the Reds energy

Cody Gakpo reckons the Anfield atmosphere played a crucial role in helping Liverpool inflict yet another painful homecoming on former hero Xabi Alonso.

A heavily rotated Reds side secured a Carabao Cup quarterfinal clash at home to Bournemouth by defeating Alonso's Chelsea 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 stalemate in their fourth-round encounter on Wednesday.

Gakpo netted from the penalty spot during regulation time and successfully converted his kick in a fifth consecutive shoot-out victory for Liverpool against the London outfit, the team's best record against any opposition. Alonso has now suffered defeat at Anfield, his former home, for three campaigns running, following previous setbacks while managing Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid.

Villarreal manager Inigo Perez admitted his squad had found it difficult to handle the Anfield environment when defeated in the Champions League last week, while Reds chief Andoni Iraola lauded the home faithful following Sunday's hard-earned Premier League triumph against Brighton.

And when questioned whether the influence of the Anfield support can be magical, Gakpo responded: "It is. Everybody in the stands knows this as well, and when we have a little bit of momentum, or we have a good moment, then they get behind us with everything they have got.

"I have to say it gives us energy, which nobody thought they had. But it's very helpful and, obviously, we are very appreciative of that, and we always try to give (something back).

"It was a tough opponent, and we had to be super focused as there was no extra time, and it went straight to penalties. We had a little bit of an advantage with the crowd and being at home.

"We knew penalties was a possibility and the coach said it as well, so everyone took one (in training)."

Joe Gomez converted Liverpool's final and ultimately decisive spot-kick in the shoot-out, marking his first goal of any description during an Anfield career now spanning 12 seasons.

Gakpo commented: "Unfortunately, it wasn't official like in a game, but everybody saw how he shot the ball. It was very good and with confidence, and I know from training that he can score goals. But his first task is being a defender."

Gakpo's penalty during regulation time represented his 11th in 14 League Cup outings for Liverpool, with only Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler, Kenny Dalglish, Ronnie Whelan and Steve McMahon having found the net more frequently in the competition for the Reds.

"That's not bad, huh?" the Netherlands international remarked, speaking to LFC TV.

"I was on penalties as Dom (Szoboszlai) was not here and Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) wasn't playing, so you're kind of hoping there is going to be a penalty and it happened. It hasn't happened that often this season, so I was happy that it was me who could take it.

"The further you go in the tournament, the closer it gets to the silverware. It's a competition that goes fast, and you play the final at the end of March. It can give you silverware quickly and give the team a boost for the end of the season."