Carlisle United took Liverpool all the way to penalties but eventually went out of the League Cup after losing 3-2 in a dramatic shootout at Anfield.

The hosts looked to be on course for a comfortable victory when Danny Ings fired them ahead, but Derek Asamoah drew Carlisle level.

For all Carlisle's work, they were undone by three penalty saves from Adam Bogdan as Liverpool progressed to the fourth round.

LIVERPOOL

Goal

Adam Bogdan: The debutant will have been unhappy to concede a goal at his near post, but he effectively won the game for Liverpool with three penalty saves. An impressive start to his Anfield career. (8/10)

Defence

Emre Can: Can was the most able of Liverpool's three centre-backs tonight and carried the ball out of defence on numerous occasions and although he went close with one shot, he didn't do enough with the ball to open Carlisle up. (5/10)

Martin Skrtel: The senior centre-back in Liverpool's back line, but he'll be disappointed to have conceded to League Two opposition. Skrtel didn't exactly do much wrong, but he needed to give his teammates more direction. (4/10)

Dejan Lovren: Lovren was the defender closest to Asamoah, but was caught ball-watching as the 34-year-old peeled off his left shoulder before burying the leveller. To compound matters, he left the field on a stretcher in extra time with a nasty-looking injury. (4/10)

Midfield

Nathaniel Clyne: This was Clyne's worst performance in a Liverpool shirt since arriving from Southampton in the summer. In the wing-back role, the onus is on him to attack, but he regularly got the ball stuck under his feet and his final product was lacking. (3/10)

James Milner: This was far from a captain's performance. Milner struggled against Norwich City and had a similarly frustrating game against Carlisle. There were signs of his drive and energy when he popped up in the box, but his passing was lackadaisical. (4/10)

Joe Allen: As always, a neat and today game from the Welshman, but Liverpool needed more tonight. It was his first game after a month-long injury, but he hardly laid down a marker for a first-team spot come the weekend. (5/10)

Alberto Moreno: Moreno put in a sterling performance against Norwich, setting up the goal, but couldn't replicate it against League Two opposition. He picked out a couple of nice passes, but like Clyne on the other side, the final product was too often of poor quality. (5/10)

Attack

Roberto Firmino: The Brazilian showed a few nice touches in the opening stages and flashed a couple of shots wide, but left the field shortly after the half-hour mark with an injury. (5/10)

Danny Ings: Ings is now Liverpool's leading goalscorer for the season with two goals. Not much to shout about, but he was Liverpool's brightest player on a disappointing night. (6/10)

Adam Lallana: It's games such as these that Lallana must take by the scruff of the neck if he is to become a Liverpool regular, but he was too often a peripheral figure. Not clinical enough. (4/10)

Substitutes

Divock Origi: The young Belgian found himself in plenty of promising positions after coming on in the 36th minute, but snatched at too many efforts and the Carlisle defence never looked scared of him. (5/10)

Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool's go-to man was called upon again as the Reds struggled to break down Carlisle. He went incredibly close with a couple of long-range efforts and was clearly the best player on the pitch after his introduction, but couldn't do enough to find a way past Gillespie. He also missed his spot kick. (6/10)

Jordon Ibe: The ease and frequency with which Ibe got to the byline was impressive, but pretty much every cross hit the first man. He's still young, but it's an area of of his game that he must improve. (5/10)

CARLISLE UNITED

Goal

Mark Gillespie: The Carlisle stopper stood tall to defy Liverpool time and time again. Not many of his saves could be deemed as world-class, but he was so often a remarkable last line of defence. (9/10)

Defence

Tom Miller: The pick of Carlisle's defenders. The number of times Miller was in the right position to snuff out a Liverpool attack was great credit to his calm defending. (9/10)

Michael Raynes: Constantly talking his teammates through the game, Raynes didn't shirk from his own responsibilities and kept the Liverpool forwards quiet. (8/10)

Danny Grainger: Composed on the ball and aggressive in the tackle, Grainger put in a performance to remember of the left side of the defence. (8/10)

Midfield

Alex McQueen: The wing-back showed incredible energy and was often the closest man to Asamoah and Jabo Ibhere in attack. To top it all off, he notched a quite brilliant penalty. (9/10)

Gary Dicker: Dicker looked exhausted at the end, but he protected his defence incredibly well on numerous occasions. He and McQueen were the only Carlisle players to net their penalties. (8/10)

Luke Joyce: Joyce ran and ran and ran. And ran some more. A thankless task closing down Liverpool's midfielders but he can hold his head high. (8/10)

Jason Kennedy: Kennedy was another who left nothing on the pitch, restricting the space that Liverpool tried to exploit. (8/10)

Antony Sweeney: What McQueen did on the right, Sweeney did just as effectively on the left. The wing-back was solid in defence and alert to thwart any overloads Liverpool threw down his side. (8/10)

Attack

Derek Asamoah: The 34-year-old forward barely saw the ball, but showed great movement and composure to draw his side level ten minutes before the break. (8/10)

Bastien Hery: The Frenchman sported a red mohican at Anfield and his swashbuckling display in the hole behind Asamoah was impressive. He was unfortunate to be the man to miss the decisive penalty kick. (8/10)

Substitutes

Alex Gilliead: Plenty of endeavour from the midfielder who added a bit more snap and energy to his side when his teammates began to fade. (8/10)

Jabo Ibhere: Ibhere's exclusion from the starting XI was a huge surprise considering he's already scored 10 goals this season. The striker did miss a one-on-one with Bogdan, but he was forced wide for the chance. (7/10)

Macaulay Gillesphey: This was the Newcastle loannee's senior debut and the youngster did not look out of place in his 45 minutes on the pitch. (8/10)

Written by
Kristian Johnson