The semifinals of the 2021-22 League Cup will feature three London clubs and one from the northwest after Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham joined Arsenal in the semifinal draw on Wednesday.
Liverpool 3-3 (5-4 PKs) Leicester
Jurgen Klopp and the Reds were down two goals at both 2-0 and 3-1, yet they managed to overturn the deficit in dramatic fashion before winning in a penalty shootout full of even more twists and turns. Jamie Vardy was on the scoresheet twice inside the first 13 minutes, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hit back int he 19th to make it 2-1.
James Maddison scored the best goal of the bunch just after the half-hour mark, and it looked like Leicester had weathered the initial storm. The Foxes held firm at 2-1 for 35 minutes, but Diogo Jota hammered one past Kasper Schmeichel in the 68th minute to make it an all too nervy finish for the visitors. Sure enough, Takumi Minamino came through in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
WOW 🤯 MADDISON BLAST 🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/WuP8xM82sw
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 22, 2021
MINAMINO AT THE DEATH FOR LIVERPOOL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XVsHd97aGY
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 22, 2021
In penalties, Luke Thomas was denied by Caoimhin Kelleher, but Minamino crashed his spot kick into the crossbar with the chance to win it in round 5. Kelleher came up big again in round 6, denying Ryan Bertrand before Jota placed his low and out of Schmeichel’s reach.
Brentford 0-2 Chelsea
In west London, the Bees and Blues looked like they might also head to penalty kicks, but the reigning European champions scored twice in the final 10 minutes to secure passage into the semifinals. Possession and scoring chances were massively skewed in Chelsea’s favor, but Brentford held firm for much of the game and were anything but an easy out.
Pontus Jansson put the ball into his own next — the eventual winner — in the 80th minute, and Jorginho converted from the penalty spot after Christian Pulisic was pulled down inside the penalty area by goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez.
Tottenham 2-1 West Ham
In north London, Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura fired Antonio Conte’s side past David Moyes’ struggling Hammers. Bergwijn opened the scoring in the 29th minute, quickly followed by Jarrod Bowen’s equalizer in the 32nd, followed even more quickly by Moura’s winner in the 34th.
Five of the game’s nine shots on target, including all three goals, came during that five-minute period straddling the half-hour mark, when the game was ultimately decided.
BERGWIJN ➡️ MOURA
Tottenham lead in London. pic.twitter.com/MstDO7rvl8
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) December 22, 2021
League Cup final scores & draw
League Cup quarterfinal results
Arsenal 5-1 Sunderland – FULL RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 West Ham United
Brentford 0-2 Chelsea
Liverpool 3-3 (5-4 PKs) Leicester City
League Cup semifinals draw results
First and second legs to be played the weeks of Jan. 3 and 10
Arsenal vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs Tottenham.
NBC
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