Chelsea fought hard to secure a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes at Anfield. Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo’s first-half spot-kicks cancelled each other out, sending the fourth-round tie to a penalty shootout.

The Blues lost the shootout 7-6 after misses from Wesley Fofana, Emmanuel Emegha and Valentin Barco at the Kop end. Here are The Chelsea Chronicle’s player ratings after a resilient EFL Cup performance that ended in heartbreak.

Chelsea player ratings vs Liverpool

Mike Penders – 8/10

Mike Penders was under pressure to bounce back from his shocking mistake against Tottenham last weekend. Thankfully, he looked solid enough when called into action. His best moments included a strong save from a close-range Ronald Araujo header and another to deny a Bradley Barcola shot.

Josh Acheampong – 6/10

Josh Acheampong was given the tough assignment of marking Rio Nguoha down Liverpool’s left flank. The youngster stuck to his task well but did pick up a yellow card for bringing him down in the second half. He also blocked Bradley Barcola’s 80th-minute effort from a yard out.

Maxence Lacroix – 6/10

Maxence Lacroix had a steady game until he was forced off just before half-time with a hamstring injury.

Wesley Fofana – 0/10

Wesley Fofana had already fallen out of favour with Chelsea supporters, and he did little to win them back over against Liverpool. Minutes after Morgan Rogers gave the Blues the lead, the Frenchman conceded a penalty by handling the ball above his head from a set piece. Cody Gakpo converted from the spot. He then missed the decisive penalty in the shootout.

Malo Gusto – 6/10

Malo Gusto has been short of game time this season and finally got his chance to start at left wing-back. While it is not his natural position, Gusto supported Morgan Rogers going forward and played a lovely through ball to Moises Caicedo that led to the penalty. However, he was caught out by some sloppy defending on multiple occasions.

Pedro Neto – 6/10

Pedro Neto did okay in his usual right midfield position. He worked hard to help Josh Acheampong defensively and provided width in attack, although he did not create as much as the Blues would have liked.

Jordan Henderson – 7/10

A classic Jordan Henderson performance. He looked much better in a midfield three alongside Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia than he did alongside Caicedo alone against Spurs. Without doing anything special, he kept the ball moving in possession and worked his socks off without it.

Moises Caicedo – 7/10

Moises Caicedo was his usual destructive self in central midfield. It was not a vintage performance from the Ecuadorian, but he always makes his presence felt by covering every blade of grass. He won Chelsea’s first-half penalty by getting to the ball before Ryan Gravenberch brought him down. He also played a phenomenal ball to Morgan Rogers to launch a counter-attack.

Romeo Lavia – 7/10

Romeo Lavia showed what Chelsea were missing against Tottenham and why fans could not believe Xabi Alonso did not bring him on. His composure on the ball allowed the Blues to progress up the pitch several times.

Morgan Rogers – 7/10

Morgan Rogers had a better game than against Spurs, but he still missed his usual attacking partners, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer. He does not have the same understanding with Danny Welbeck as he does with those two. However, he took his penalty really well.

Danny Welbeck – 5/10

Danny Welbeck did not receive much service, but he will still be disappointed with his performance. With a point to prove after Xabi Alonso left him out against Tottenham, the 35-year-old struggled to get into the game, and his hold-up play could have been a lot better.

Substitutes

Levi Colwill – 7/10

Marco Palestra – 6/10

Valentin Barco – 6/10

Emmanuel Emegha – 6/10