Chelsea goalkeeper refuses substitution, embarrasses manager

Kepa Arrizabalaga refuses to sub off during Carabao Cup Final vs Manchester City

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.



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.



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]
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