Liverpool Vs Chelsea [1-1] EFL Cup 2026/2027: A Missed Opportunity For Xabi Alonso - Tactical Analysis

Liverpool and Chelsea have a history of facing off in cup competitions.

Whether it’s Rafael Benítez vs José Mourinho in the UEFA Champions League showdowns of the 2000s or FA Cup finals and semi-finals.

This was another edition of the EFL Cup, which most recently saw Liverpool prevail at Wembley Stadium in 2024 against the infamous “Billion Pound Bottle Jobs”.

It was the Anfield side that prevailed again here, winning on penalties 6-5 after Wesley Fofana put his spot kick high and wide in sudden death.

The 90 minutes beforehand had been entertaining, with both teams looking to exploit the space the other team was giving them.

It ended 1-1 after a penalty kick apiece from Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso came into this one with slightly more pressure.

His side had not only been beaten by Tottenham Hotspur at home the previous weekend, something that doesn’t tend to happen, but they had been completely outplayed.

The Stamford Bridge side also don’t have the exploits of European football this season, meaning fresher legs.

On the other hand, Andoni Iraola had been receiving praise after a win against in-form Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, with just one defeat so far during his tenure (the 3-0 loss against Manchester City that saw his side go down to 10 men).

There are still weaknesses in his team (more on that to come), but they are more resilient and harder to beat than they ever were last season.

This tactical analysis looks at how both teams set up and the positives and negatives both managers will take from the tie.

Liverpool Vs Chelsea Lineups & Formations

The two Basque managers took very different approaches to their lineups in this game.

Liverpool Lineup Vs Chelsea

Iraola made eight changes to the team that had won against Brighton, opting for rotation and fresh legs, all the while sticking to his 4-2-3-1 as he tries to impose his tactical ideas on Merseyside.

Giorgi Mamardashvili replaced Alisson Becker in goal.

In defence, Virgil van Dijk kept his place at centre-back, this time being partnered with Ronald Araújo.

Joe Gomez came in at right-back, with Kostas Tsimikas at left-back.

Ryan Gravenberch and 19-year-old Trey Nyoni were the double pivot, with Rio Ngumoha, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas ahead of them.

Cody Gakpo started at centre-forward.

Liverpool then utilised their experience from the bench as the game went on, with Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz, Jérémy Jacquet, Alexis Mac Allister and Alexander Isak all coming on.

Chelsea Lineup Vs Liverpool

Alonso, on the other hand, did something different.

He switched the system he had played against Spurs and went with a back four instead of a back three, yet kept the same core in terms of personnel, making just four changes (one forced by Cole Palmer's suspension).

Mike Penders started in goal, ahead of a back four of Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Maxence Lacroix and Josh Acheampong, from left to right.

The midfield three included former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, Roméo Lavia and Moisés Caicedo.

The attack had Morgan Rogers on the left, Pedro Neto on the right and Danny Welbeck leading the line.

Alonso used four of his five allowed subs, with Levi Colwill replacing an injured Lacroix and Marco Palestra, Valentín Barco and Emmanuel Emegha all coming on.

First Half Sloppiness

The first half of this game was the one that produced both goals of the game, but from a quality point of view, it was incredibly poor.

The possession was an even split (49% to 51%) as both teams had spells of trying to impose themselves on the game.

Liverpool Average Position Map Vs Chelsea (Via SofaScore)

Iraola's side looked to progress through their two midfielders, and Nyoni was particularly impressive in doing so.

He had the most touches in the game, made seven passes into the final third and completed 86% of his 76 passes.

It tended to break down once it got to the final third, though.

This was down to a few factors.

First was the odd fit of McConnell in the No. 10 role.

He is more suited to a deep-lying role, while receiving the ball in advanced areas and making things happen aren't his strong suit.

Gakpo was also poor at leading the line, unable to receive in central areas despite getting into good areas.

It meant Liverpool created just 0.06 expected goals from open play during the first half.

Chelsea Average Position Map Vs Liverpool (Via SofaScore)

Chelsea created even less from open play during the first half, with just two shots and zero expected goals created from open play.

Rogers felt like an isolated figure trying to play hero ball.

Welbeck was noticeably poor, unable to hold the ball up or make any sort of impact on the ball, so often swallowed up by Van Dijk.

Chelsea's best move was the one that saw them win a penalty.