It was a tight game on Wednesday evening when our 2026/27 League Cup campaign came to an unfortunate end. After Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo penalties at either end had resulted in a 1-1 draw at the final whistle, the fourth-round tie was decided by a shootout.

It was the home side who came out on top in the third round of sudden death, just as it seemed it would be impossible to separate the two sides, making for a disappointing finish to our cup campaign.

‘For sure, the outcome is not what we wanted,’ reflected Alonso after the game. ‘It's not what we expected before the game. Once you reach penalties, there's going to be a sad side.

‘It is us in this case, but I have to say that during the game we played at a very good competitive level, it was a good performance. We showed an improvement, I would say. That's what we wanted.

‘We played with courage. The game was really close; it could have gone either way. There were not many chances for both sides and we have tried to overcome difficult moments as well, like Max’s [Lacroix] injury.

‘It's a small setback but we need to move on. As soon as we leave Anfield, our focus is Saturday's Premier League game.’

That weekend fixture will see us host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, when Mike Penders is likely to feature as our goalkeeper again, during the absence of Emiliano Martinez, and Alonso praised the Belgian’s show of resilience by coming back strong following the loss to Tottenham.

‘He looked really solid with good composure, like he had dealt well with Saturday,’ our manager continued. ‘That is what it takes in this job to overcome difficult situations and he did quite well.’

There were also words for striker Emmanuel Emegha, who came off the bench to make his Chelsea debut, but saw his penalty saved in the shootout.

‘It's hard to make your debut with that moment that could mean everything for him, for us,' Alonso added.

'But it is about learning from all the experiences, even like today when it was a sad one. And I said it myself, as soon as we get on the bus, I move on, I think about United.’

That game against Man Utd kicks off at the Bridge at 12.30pm on Saturday, when Alonso, Penders and Emegha will be hoping to bounce straight back with a victory.