It’s a disappointing result for the two-time Champions League winners, not least because they are without European football of any kind this season. Despite that, Alonso was quick to brush the Merseyside loss off, insisting the Carabao Cup wasn’t high on the club’s radar.

Speaking immediately after Chelsea were knocked out on penalties, the ex-Bayer Leverkusen boss remarked: “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.”

It’s one thing dismissing a chance at silverware, especially given Chelsea’s reduced schedule, but Alonso’s comments were all the more bizarre given his pre-match comments. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "We are coming to Anfield and we want to be in the next round. From the beginning we have taken it seriously.”

On the result itself, Alonso remarked: “Well for sure the outcome is not what we wanted. It is not what we expected before the game. You know once you reach the penalties, there's going to be a sad side. This is us in that case.

“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."

Having started the season strongly, Chelsea have dropped down the table somewhat and currently sit fifth. They’ve won just two of their previous six matches across all competitions.