Kepa Arrizabalaga has endured a tough few days. The Spaniard was brought on by Thomas Tuchel at the end of extra-time during Chelsea’s League Cup final with Liverpool on Sunday evening with the explicit intention of participating in the penalty shoot-out. The game finished scoreless but Liverpool won the shoot-out 11-10 to lift the trophy.
And Kepa was at the centre of the drama. The former Athletic Club goalkeeper deployed some interesting tactics throughout the shoot-out but failed to land a hand on a single effort, and when he stepped up to take his penalty he skied it, sparking a litany of memes. Caoimhin Kelleher, his opposite number, then stepped up and converted his to win it.
Kepa, 27, joined Chelsea in 2018 from Athletic for €80m to become the most expensive goalkeeper in world football. Despite this status, he’s not first-choice at Stamford Bridge. That honour belongs to Senegalese stopper Edouard Mendy.
— Out Of Context Football (@nocontextfooty) February 28, 2022
