Xabi Alonso has addressed Emmanuel Emegha’s penalty miss on his debut for Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday evening. The Dutch striker saw his spot-kick saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili as Liverpool won the shootout 6-5 to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Emegha came on at 68 minutes to make his first competitive appearance since he moved to the club from Strasbourg in the summer. His debut had been delayed by a hamstring problem. The 23-year-old had a golden opportunity to win the game in sudden death: Ryan Gravenberch had already missed for Liverpool in the same round, but Mamardashvili got down to save. Joe Gomez then scored, and Wesley Fofana blazed over to send Liverpool through.
When questioned on Emegha’s debut in English football, Alonso said:
“It’s hard to make his debut and that moment that would have meant everything for him and for us.
He needs to learn from all experiences. Today was a sad one.”
The game was decided by two penalties in the first half. Morgan Rogers scored in the 40th minute after Ryan Gravenberch fouled Moisés Caicedo. Cody Gakpo then equalised three minutes later after Fofana handled from a corner.
Liverpool had four big chances compared to two for Chelsea. The Blues actually had more shots (11-10), but both teams had four shots on target.
Emegha had a good goal record in France with 31 goals in 78 games for Strasbourg. He signed a contract until 2033 and earned his first cap for the Netherlands last year. With João Pedro out for several weeks, Emegha should play much more, though Danny Welbeck started both of Chelsea’s earlier Carabao Cup ties and remains the more experienced option.
Xabi Alonso Backed Mike Penders Publicly After Own Goal On First Premier League Start
This is not the first time Alonso has had to console a young player this week. Goalkeeper Mike Penders scored an own goal in his first Premier League start in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham. Alonso framed it as a collective failing rather than singling out the 21-year-old Belgian, though he did say the goalkeeper can improve:
“We win, we lose together and it is part of the job to deal with and to overcome from mistakes, myself as well and everyone.
So we support Mike, and we support the rest of the team. He will learn from that, and he will want to prove that he can do better. We have to show that we can do better.”
Penders had a great response at Anfield, saving from Gravenberch in the shootout. That is a useful example for Emegha to follow after a difficult first night. Chelsea, who are not playing any European football this season, face Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.