Result: Liverpool 0-0 Arsenal (Arsenal won 5-4 on penalties)
Date: 01 October 2020
Venue: Anfield
Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after beating Liverpool 5-4 on penalties on Thursday evening.
The sides made wholesale changes, with the Reds handing new signing Diogo Jota his first start while goalkeeper Adrian got also a run. Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal were all not included in the squads.
Eddie Nketiah had a great chance to get the opener for the Gunners in the seventh minute after going clear at the near post but he tried to dribble past Adrian instead of going for goal, with the Reds shot-stopper eventually averting danger.
Neither side could build momentum midway through the first stanza but Curtis Jones almost broke the deadlock for the hosts ten minutes before the break with a left-footed strike on the edge of the box that was smothered by goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Takumi Minamino had the best chance for Liverpool on the stroke of half-time after Leno parried Jota's headed effort into his path at the back post but the Japanese attacker could only hit his striker against the crossbar.
Mikel Arteta's charges were under pressure coming from the break and were only kept in the game by two brilliant saves from Leno to deny Virgil van Dijk from close range and Marko Grujic on the hour-mark.
Jota thought he had finally found the breakthrough for Jurgen Klopp's troops just two minutes later after connecting with a cross before unleashing a strike but Leno made a great save before the German goalkeeper kept out a goal-bound header from Grujic moments thereafter.
However, chances were hard to come by after that and Klopp brought on Georginio Wijnaldum in place of Jota in a tactical change in the last quarter of an hour while Arteta brought on Alexandre Lacazette in place of Nketiah for fresh legs upfront in the last eight minutes.
The sides could not find the finishing touches in the dying minutes, sending the clash to a penalty shoot-out where Arsenal held on on to win 5-4 after Leno kept out Harry Wilson's decisive kick before Joseph Willock netted the winner.
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