A look at how the national media reacted to Liverpool's 6-5 penalty shootout win over Chelsea at Anfield in the Carabao Cup

Liverpool are through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after a penalty shootout victory against Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night.

After a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes, the Reds prevailed 6-5 on spot kicks against Xabi Alonso's side and a home tie with Bournemouth now awaits Andoni Iraola in the last eight.

The ECHO covered the game at Anfield in exhaustive detail. From the match verdict, player ratings, on-the-whistle reaction and more considered analysis, we left no stone unturned, as ever. We also had a live blog throughout and we had the reaction of Iraola and Alonso too.

Our colleagues from the national media were also at the game to review the proceedings. Here's what they made of it as Liverpool's winning momentum rolled on ahead of Sunday's visit from Arsenal.

The Times' Paul Joyce writes: "They say never go back, and Xabi Alonso is finding out the hard way the ­wisdom of that old adage. He suffered defeat on his first return to Anfield as a coach with Bayer Leverkusen. Defeat, too, on his next visit with Real Madrid — and there would be no third time lucky on Wednesday evening.

"Liverpool advanced into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at the expense of his Chelsea side, for whom the season now contains a simple diet of Premier League and FA Cup football.

"That it required penalties to separate these sides is simply par for the course in recent cup meetings between them, given that the FA Cup and League Cup finals were settled in such fashion in 2022.

"Overall, the whiff of meaningful momentum is continuing to build around Liverpool’s campaign and Iraola’s ability to squeeze the maximum from his squad is also helping piece back together the connection between the team and supporters. Even Joe Gomez scored in the shoot-out."

On The Mirror's pages, Samuel Meade writes: "Liverpool have now enjoyed five wins on the bounce dating back to their Manchester City loss with Iraola looking like he's getting on a roll after his summer switch.

"In that time the Merseysiders have shown all sides to them - they quashed the Brighton momentum at the weekend, overcame the challenge that is Brentford away and showcased their powers of recovery against Villarreal in the Champions League.

"Getting the better of Chelsea is their latest scalp, and even if the Blues are by no means the side of old, they are still a rival who needed to be dispatched if Liverpool wanted to keep alive their hopes of winning the season's first trophy - which they have done.

"Given Iraola's exploits at Bournemouth plenty was expected, but it has been a slower start than he perhaps would've liked. Nothing quite keeps people happy or builds confidence like winning games and Liverpool are getting into good habits."

Lewis Steele, of the Daily Mail, reflects: "At times during a madcap night at a deceivingly cold Anfield, it felt like we were stuck in a fever dream.

"There was Joe Gomez, a player who is yet to score a goal in professional football despite this being his 13th season, briefly morphing into prime Harry Kane to dispatch a penalty like he has been taking them all his life.

"Just before, the Premier League and Champions League-winning captain Jordan Henderson was receiving deafening boos from the Kop in a bizarre chapter to the England midfielder’s once-illustrious Anfield career.

"Henderson slotted his penalty home with confidence but still departed his old stomping ground with egg on his face, just like his manager Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard, who scored in the 2005 Champions League final for Liverpool, experienced an unhappy homecoming on Merseyside.

"After a goal apiece just before half-time, from Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo, a tense battle had to be settled by penalties, with Liverpool No 2 goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili taking the plaudits for a fine save that was followed by a horrendous skied attempt from Wesley Fofana.

"That was a true defender’s penalty after some thunderous spot-kicks beforehand, with Fofana’s effort going high into the Kop to leave Liverpool dancing and Alonso and Co cursing."

On The Independent's pages, Richard Jolly pens: "As Xabi Alonso can testify, Liverpool and Chelsea have history when it comes to penalties. As a man who won both the Champions League and the FA Cup on spot kicks in his time at Anfield knows, their trophies can come courtesy of a prowess from 12 yards.

"And so there was a certain predictability that Alonso’s return to Anfield ended in a shootout, and that Liverpool won it. Chelsea have had five shootouts against them and lost them all, starting in the 2007 Champions League semi-finals, when Alonso was among the Liverpool scorers.

"Chelsea had lost, too, in the 2019 Super Cup, the 2022 Carabao Cup and the 2022 FA Cup. 'Once we reached the penalties there is going to be a sad sight,' said Alonso. There is for Chelsea, anyway.

"Alonso can be flexible in his tactics and sought to match up his boyhood friend Iraola’s system. His Chelsea played 4-4-1-1; so, two decades ago, did Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool teams. There were echoes of the past, some of the rancour of the clashes of the 2000s. When the Anfield crowd saluted one of the heroes of 2005, a Spaniard signed by Rafa Benitez, they were singing about Luis Garcia, not Alonso.

"Another of Liverpool’s finest midfielders of the 21st century, Henderson, was greeted with boos on his return to Anfield, largely for joining Chelsea but a Champions League-winning captain held his nerve to score his spot kick as the Kop jeered."

And in the ECHO's verdict: "Oh how Chelsea must loathe cup shootouts with Liverpool. After the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals of 2022 were settled the Reds' way via spot-kicks, a new chapter was added here at Anfield as Andoni Iraola's side secured their place in the quarter-finals with a 6-5 win on penalties.

"It was a night to forget for Wesley Fofana who conceded the penalty that gave Liverpool their equaliser, before the former Leicester City defender shanked the all-important spot kick after Joe Gomez had made a mockery of his 280 games without a goal, by dispatching his with the sort of panache possessed by top strikers.

"Gomez later revealed he had never taken a penalty in his career, which was even more difficult to believe given the way he confidently slotted home from 12 yards.

"In truth, had Emmanuel Emegha taken the chance to send Chelsea home as the winners, there would have been few inquests and little sleep lost. But Iraola is slowly restoring some personality to this squad and they no longer wilt in the face of adversity or drop their shoulders when setbacks hit them.

"That, in what is still a relatively short period of time, is hugely impressive from the club's new head coach, particularly as he continues to work out the more tactical and technical kinks to his overall strategy."