Carabao Cup final: Manchester City defeat Chelsea in penalties
Manchester City and Chelsea met at the Wembley stadium last night to play the final of the Carabao Cup. Though Chelsea were the better side, they could not manage to get the ball into the net, demonstrating again their lack of a good forward. Kepa Arrizabalaga's deplorable behavior became another talking point of the match. Here's our match report.
Eden Hazard was the best player on the pitch
It clearly was Eden Hazard, Chelsea's talismanic winger, who was making the difference between the two teams. Hazard's mazy runs, dribbles, and speed were too much to handle for Manchester City's defenders and if Chelsea had someone like Drogba on the day, results could've been very different. Pedro, Higuain, and even Kante missed chances created by the Belgian star.
Kepa's behavior left the world shocked
With the match deep into extra-time, Chelsea goalkeeper Arrizabalaga went down on two occasions with an injury. When Maurizio Sarri wanted to substitute him for Willy Caballero, Kepa refused to come off, infuriating Sarri. The manager even walked down the tunnel, but came back for the penalties. What Kepa did was the most disrespectful thing in football, since Zidane's 2006 head-butt.
Kepa's confidence didn't deliver a match-winning performance from him
Kepa defied his manager, but didn't manage to win the match for Chelsea. He especially could've saved Sergio Aguero's spotkick, but failed to do so, resulting in Chelsea losing 3-4 in extra-time. However, the entire blame cannot be put on him as someone as experienced as David Luiz hit the post with his penalty. Even Jorginho missed his penalty owing to a poor shot.
Kepa's action showed how Sarri is treated at the club
Kepa's disrespectful behavior towards Sarri's decision shows respect for him has faded in the Blues' corner. Chelsea legend John Terry said, "Once your number goes up you have to come off and show a bit of respect." Sarri, probably afraid of losing his job, has gone soft already, saying "It was a misunderstanding. Kepa was right, but in the wrong way he conducted himself."
