Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga completely undermined the authority of manager Maurizio Sarri prior to the penalty kicks segment of Sunday's Carabao Cup Final against Manchester City.
Kepa held Man City scoreless through regular time and extra time, but with Chelsea also unable to score, the match would be decided in a shootout. Sarri planned on substituting Kepa and having backup goalkeeper Willy Caballero in net for the penalties, but Kepa refused to leave the pitch. It was a bizarre sight as Caballero waited on the sideline to sub in, but Kepa kept waving him off and giving the thumbs-up sign indicating he was ready for the shootout.
Ultimately, Sarri backed down and let Kepa take the penalties, although he was understandably furious and nearly walked into the locker room before turning around in the tunnel and coming back out to watch the end of the match.
😳 - Have you EVER seen anything like it!?— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 24, 2019
Maurizio Sarri tries to substitute Kepa Arrizabalaga for Willy Caballero, but Kepa refuses to come off and Sarri is absolutely FURIOUS! 😡 pic.twitter.com/Q81v6ry3Kk
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of Kepa, he couldn't hold off Man City, who won the shootout 4-3 to take home the trophy.
Raheem Sterling's penalty sealed the deal for Manchester City! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/zFNiQx16sO— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 24, 2019
Although Chelsea is firmly in sixth place in the Premier League tables, it's hard to see how Sarri will be taken seriously for the rest of the season, considering how his authority was completely undermined on Sunday. It should be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for Chelsea
[FTW]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
