**Joe Gomez enjoyed a memorable night in Liverpool’s penalty shootout win over Chelsea, and journalist Lewis Steele singled him out for special praise.**
The Reds made it into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday evening, knocking the Blues out 6-5 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes at Anfield.
It is now five wins in a row for Liverpool, with life under Andoni Iraola going swimmingly, and the Spaniard [spoke with great positivity](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/andoni-iraola-press-conference-chelsea-carabao-cup-drawing-bournemouth-togetherness) about the togetherness on show after the game:
_“I feel it and I’m very happy to feel it because I think it’s very important. We need to feel what we are feeling now, the players are feeling. They are feeling the support of the ones in the stands and I think when we are all together, we create better atmospheres._
_“Even starting losing, there was ‘Let’s go, come on.’ A lot of the players have given us very good help and now it’s the third game at home where we finish with good feelings. And we have another big one on Sunday and let’s try to finish this four in a row that we had at home in the best way.”_
For Gomez, it was a special night, with the 29-year-old scoring Liverpool’s final spot-kick in the shootout, prior to Wesley Fonana missing his must-score effort.
Writing on [X](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/andoni-iraola-press-conference-chelsea-carabao-cup-drawing-bournemouth-togetherness), Steele showed his appreciation for Liverpool’s longest-serving current player, saying:
_“Putting aside the fact he morphed into a top striker for a second, what a night from Joe Gomez. No matter how many injuries he has or how little he plays, he very very rarely puts a foot wrong.”_
**Joe Gomez: A true modern Liverpool hero**
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It was great to see Gomez have a big moment in the limelight, considering what an understated figure he has been since arriving from Charlton Athletic back in 2015.
He took his penalty with aplomb, finding the net for the first time for the Reds, and while it isn’t an official goal, the centre-back will certainly take it!
There is every chance that Gomez leaves Liverpool at the end of this season, and finishing with a trophy would be a fitting way to bow out, following a superb, albeit injury-plagued, period at Anfield.
What a team player he has been.