Liverpool needed a late goal to tie Leicester City in the quarterfinal of the Carabao Cup before eventually dismissing the Foxes 5-4 on penalties, thanks to two saves from second choice goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher.
Leicester City had raced into a two-goal lead in the first 13 minutes through Jamie Vardy before Alex Oxlade Chamberlain pulled one back for Jurgen Klopp's side.
James Maddison restored the visitors' two-goal lead with a stunning strike, but Liverpool were not done fighting as they needed goals from substitute Diogo Jota and a late strike from Takumi Minamino to send the game into penalty shootout.
Klopp made 10 changes to his side that drew 2-2 against Tottenham at the weekend, fielding a very youthful side while Brendan Rodgers named a strong side.
The naivety of the youthful Liverpool side was exposed early on when Vardy got two goals in the space of four minutes. He was allowed a lot of space on the right to score his first, before a counterattack left the youthful Liverpool side stranded as Patson Daka assisted his strike partner for his and the club's second of the night.
The rain of goals in the first half continued when Chamberlain scored from a lay-off by Roberto Firmino, but the hope of any comeback for the hosts was almost killed when Maddison scored a 25-yard stunner before the break.
It could have been game over before half time, but for Vardy hitting the base of the Liverpool post after a poor pass out from the back into midfield by Joe Gomez.
Klopp made three half time substitutions, bringing on Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate and James Milner, a move that switched momentum in favour of the hosts as Jota reduced the deficit not long after.
The hosts had to wait till the dearth to draw level when a cross from Milner was missed by the jump of Wilfred Ndidi, allowing Takumi Minamino to control with his chest and fire low into the post to send Anfield into wild jubilations.
The penalty shootout had seen all players score their kicks except for Luke Thomas for Leicester, whose kick was saved by Kelleher. It was another opportunity for Minamino to turn hero, but he almost tuned otherwise when he sent his deciding kick crashing against the crossbar.
Leicester had a second chance to right things with the next round of spot kicks, but former Chelsea defender, Ryan Bertrand failed to grab this chance for his team as he played his spot kick to the exact position where Luke Thomas played his and Kelleher again saved. Jota stepped up to crash the bottom left corner with the final kick and send the Reds into semifinals where they'd face Arsenal in the two-legged tie after the turn of the year.
**Concluding Thoughts**
Leicester City have once again let themselves down as they have done in recent times in the Premier League, throwing away a golden opportunity at winning a trophy.
Going two goals up within the first 15 minutes was enough to sway the momentum in your favour, against a naive Liverpool side at that, but they just found a way to screw it up.
I believe the Foxes' lack of consistency over time have been a result of their own poor performances and in this case game management, despite the quality of players at their disposal. Perhaps, Brendan Rodgers needs to rethink his style and approach to the game, especially after losing from a very comfortable position.
One would have expected a proper game management in the second half after a favourable scoreline at half time. And, when Liverpool grabbed that second goal, it was a warning of what to come. They were just a few seconds away from glory and their last minute lack of concentration cost them.
Credit must also go to the young Liverpool side, who kept their cool despite the early setback. They showed the never die spirit of the club to hold up the game till help came in form of the half time substitutions that infused more experience into the team and turned the game in their favour.
I won't be surprised if Klopp names a similar side in the semifinal again Arsenal, moreso as he'd be missing the services of Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah, who would both be at the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
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