Friday 29 January 2016 15:00, UK
Liverpool's Capital One Cup semi-final victory over Stoke City showed that when it comes to the business of penalty shoot-outs, there are few better teams than the Reds.
There was nothing to choose between Jurgen Klopp's side and the Potters after 120 gruelling minutes of football at Anfield on Tuesday night, meaning the dreaded penalties were required to separate the two teams.
Thanks to two brilliant stops by Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to keep out efforts from Peter Crouch and Marc Muniesa, it was the Merseysiders who took the honours 6-5 in the shoot-out and with it a place at Wembley next month.
And this latest triumph carried on the club's brilliant penalty shoot-out record in competitive matches stretching back more than 30 years...
Roma (May 1984): Won 4-2
Liverpool won their fourth European Cup by beating Roma on their own ground, although Joe Fagan's side needed to do it the hard way after the final had ended 1-1 after extra-time.
A combination of Bruce Grobbelaar's famous spaghetti legs and Alan Kennedy's nerve saw the club get their hands on the trophy with the big ears.
Portsmouth (April 1992): Won 3-1
After the two teams had played out a 1-1 draw in the first match at Highbury, Liverpool eventually made it to that season's FA Cup final after beating Portsmouth 3-1 on penalties following a goalless draw in the preceding 120 minutes.
Goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar saved one spot-kick in the semi-final replay at Villa Park, while Pompey also missed the target with two others. Graeme Souness' side would go on to beat Sunderland in the final.
Wimbledon (December 1993): Lost 3-4
Liverpool's first-ever defeat in a penalty shoot-out came against Wimbledon in a League Cup fourth-round replay in December 1993.
The first tie had ended 1-1 at Anfield and after the return encounter had also finished all square at 2-2, Jamie Redknapp and Mark Walters saw their efforts saved by Dons goalkeeper Hans Segers.
Birmingham City (January 1995): Won 2-0
After a goalless draw in the first match at St Andrew's, Liverpool and Birmingham again drew 1-1 in the return at Anfield.
However, Roy Evans' team made it through to the FA Cup fourth round after David James kept out Steve McGavin's effort, while the Reds were also helped on their way by misses from Mark Ward, Liam Daish and Gary Cooper as the Blues failed to convert any of their penalties.
Birmingham City (February 2001): Won 5-4
Birmingham were again on the receiving end against the Reds as the 2001 League Cup final became the first domestic showpiece to be decided by a penalty shoot-out after the match ended 1-1 following extra-time.
On this occasion, Liverpool's hero was 'keeper Sander Westerveld, whose stops to keep out Martin Grainger and - decisively - Andy Johnson, saw his team emerge victorious at the Millennium Stadium on their way to winning the Treble that season.
Ipswich Town (December 2002): Won 5-4
This League Cup fourth-round tie went all the way down to penalties after ending in a 1-1 draw, and again it was Liverpool who held their nerve at Anfield.
Gerard Houllier's men scored from all five of their spot-kicks, with Jamie Clapham's miss from 12 yards ultimately proving to be the difference between the two teams.
Tottenham Hotspur (December 2004): Won 4-3
The Reds made it all the way to the 2005 League Cup final against Chelsea, but Rafa Benitez's side first needed to get past Spurs on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Following a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane, Liverpool took the honours after captain Jerzy Dudek kept out Fredi Kanoute's effort, while both Richie Partridge and the home team's Michael Brown also missed.
AC Milan (May 2005): Won 3-2
Liverpool won their fifth European Cup after a dramatic encounter with AC Milan in Istanbul had ended 3-3 following extra-time, meaning a shoot-out was required to separate the two teams.
As in 1984, it was a goalkeeper with wobbly legs, Jerzy Dudek, who proved to be the club's hero as the Rossoneri failed to convert four of their five spot-kicks.
The Pole's stop to keep out Andriy Shevchenko's final penalty saw the Reds crowned kings of Europe for the first time since that famous night in Rome 21 years earlier.
West Ham United (May 2006): Won 3-1
A year later, and Benitez's team won another major final on a shoot-out, this time in the FA Cup after overcoming West Ham at the Millennium Stadium.
The game itself had been a cracker, ending 3-3 after extra time thanks to captain Steven Gerrard's sensational last-minute equaliser, before penalty-saving expert Jose Reina kept out efforts from Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand to hand the Reds a seventh Cup win.
Chelsea (May 2007): Won 4-1
Benitez and Co were at it again 12 months on, as victory over Chelsea at Anfield saw the club make it through to the Champions League final.
The two rivals could not be separated after more than three hours of football, but once again Liverpool's players displayed nerves of steel when it came to the shoot-out.
And it was that man Reina who was to prove the difference, with the Spaniard saving from Arjen Robben and Geremi, while his team-mates scored all four of their penalties to send the Reds to Athens.
Northampton Town (September 2010): Lost 2-4
An all-too-rare defeat for Liverpool in a shoot-out, as Roy Hodgson's team surprisingly lost a League Cup third-round clash to Northampton at Anfield.
The tie ended 2-2 after 120 minutes, but despite the visitors' Steve Guinan missing the very first penalty, both David N'Gog and Nathan Eccleston then failed to convert their efforts as the Reds lost a competitive shoot-out for just the second time in their history.
Cardiff City (February 2012): Won 3-2
Liverpool won the League Cup for a record eighth time after beating Cardiff at Wembley, but not for the first occasion they required penalties to get over the line after the game finished 2-2 following extra-time.
This time though, Kenny Dalglish's men did it the hard way after captain Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam both failed to hit the target with the first two spot-kicks in the shoot-out.
However, the Reds emerged triumphant thanks to Bluebirds misses from Kenny Miller, Rudy Gestede and crucially with the last penalty Steven Gerrard's cousin, Anthony Gerrard.
Middlesbrough (September 2014): Won 14-13
Liverpool smashed all records after beating Middlesbrough 14-13 at Anfield to make it through to the League Cup fourth round.
Raheem Sterling was the only player to fail to score for the home side, while Simon Mignolet saved Boro's very first spot-kick from Patrick Bamford and Albert Adomah missed with the Championship side's 15th effort as a total of 30 penalties were taken.
And that, not surprisingly, was a shoot-out record for both Liverpool and the competition itself.
Besiktas (February 2015): Lost 5-4
Liverpool's third defeat in a penalty shoot-out came at the hands of Besiktas in a UEFA Europa League round-of-32 second-leg clash last year.
Both sides won their home legs 1-0, leading to a shoot-out at the same Ataturk Stadium where the Reds had beaten AC Milan on penalties to win the 2005 Champions League.
But on this occasion, the result went the other way as after nine successful spot-kicks, Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren blazed over the bar to hand the Turks the honours.
Carlisle United (September 2015): Won 3-2
Liverpool have needed to navigate two penalty shoot-outs on their way to this season's League Cup final, the first coming back in September after they could only manage a 1-1 draw with Carlisle at Anfield.
However, in a ding-dong shoot-out in which both Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho missed, it was Adam Bogdan's three stops from Danny Grainger, Luke Joyce and decisively Bastien Hery's final effort that saw the Reds scrape through to the fourth round.
Stoke City (January 2016): Won 6-5
Liverpool made it 13 wins from 16 competitive penalty shoot-outs by beating Stoke 6-5 in their Capital One Cup semi-final second-leg clash at Anfield on Tuesday.
And not for the first time in his career, it was 'keeper Simon Mignolet who was the Reds' hero as the Belgian kept out efforts from former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch and then, in sudden death, Marc Muniesa to send his side to Wembley next month.
