Chelsea's head coach Xabi Alonso has reacted to his team's defeat against Liverpool in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The Londoners lost 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Anfield.
The Spanish manager believes that both teams were evenly matched and that the outcome was decided by fine margins. According to him, penalty shootouts always have an element of unpredictability, making the exit particularly painful.
“Whenever penalties come into play, it feels unjust for a team to get knocked out. Both sides were very close in terms of performance. In a shootout, anything can happen,” Alonso stated.
The coach highlighted that Chelsea put up a commendable performance on their opponent's turf and competed well throughout the match. He pointed out that the awarded penalty was one of the key moments that kept the game evenly balanced.
Alonso also praised goalkeeper Mike Penders, emphasising his reliability in helping maintain stability during the first half.
“Mike Penders had a great game. We allowed the opposition to create very few chances, and he was confident and assured. This was particularly crucial in the first half,” noted the manager.
Following their elimination from the EFL Cup, Chelsea now turns its focus to the Premier League. Alonso acknowledged that there is little time for recovery, with their next match set to take place on Saturday, and it has an early kickoff.
“That's football, part of our job. We showed we can compete at this level in such stadiums. Now our main priority is the Premier League. We have little time to recover, so we need to switch gears quickly,” Alonso added.
