'I am not proud about what happened' – Kepa opens up on Carabao Cup final clash with Sarri - 7M sport

'I am not proud about what happened' – Kepa opens up on Carabao Cup final clash with Sarri

The Chelsea goalkeeper says he is still sorry for the situation and that everything was quickly resolved between himself and the manager


Posted Thursday, September 05, 2019 by Goal.com

'I am not proud about what happened' – Kepa opens up on Carabao Cup final clash with Sarri

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has opened up about his clash with former manager Maurizio Sarri during the 2019 Carabao Cup final.

The Blues lost to Manchester City on penalties following a 0-0 draw and, in the second half of extra-time, the Italian attempted to substitute the Spanish goalkeeper after it seemed he had suffered an injury, with Willy Caballero ready to come on.

However, Kepa insisted on staying on the pitch, leading to a heated row between him and Sarri which almost saw the now-Juventus head coach walk down the tunnel, before saving one penalty in an ultimately unsuccessful shootout.

Jorginho and David Luiz missed for Chelsea that night, while Leroy Sane was the only City player to be denied before Raheem Sterling smashed home the winning penalty.

"I am not proud about what happened, I lived [through] a good storm that weekend,” Kepa told Cadena SER.

“This is a situation that I never felt. He thought I was injured, everything went faster [than expected] and happened as it happened. I said sorry to everyone and Sarri explained to me how he felt after this, but we were in the spotlight this week.

"Internally, everything was solved and finished the day after Carabao Cup.

"From now I will ask the manager [questions] just in the half-time of the extra-time!"

Kepa was dropped for the next game – a 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur – but was reinstated as the first-choice goalkeeper for the rest of the season despite the falling-out.

The 24-year-old Spaniard became the most expensive goalkeeper of all time when he joined the Blues from Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2018, eclipsing the fee Liverpool paid for Alisson Becker from Roma in the same window.

Last year’s runners-up will face Grimsby Town or Macclesfield Town in the third round of this season’s competition after the clash at Blundell Park had to be postponed following torrential rain.

The League Two sides will meet for their cup tie next Tuesday evening to determine which get to visit Stamford Bridge in the next round.



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