You may have just started watching football in the last few months or you may been watching it for years or even decades, but the events that transpired towards the end of the League Cup final in England on Sunday evening would have left you stunned all the same.
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga ignored manager Maurizio Sarri’s decision to substitute him before a penalty shootout as the League Cup final went to spot-kicks on Sunday — an even that cast more doubt on the Italian’s future.
A visibly furious Sarri even started making his way towards the tunnel before turning back to take his place on the touchline towards the end of extra-time of the 0-0 draw against Manchester City.
Kepa, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, received treatment for an injury in the closing stages but also has a worse record of saving penalties than former City stopper Willy Caballero, who Sarri was trying to introduce. And much to the manager’s disgust (at that time), Kepa stood his ground and defied pleas from Sarri and even Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola in the dugout.
In the shootout afterwards, he let a tame Sergio Aguero penalty squirm through him before pulling off a stunning save off Leroy Sane. But that Aguero miss proved decisive as City emerged champions for the fourth time in this event in the last five years.
There were plenty of reactions on Twitter, as you’d expect, with Kepa and Sarri dominating the trends section late in the night even in India without hundreds of thousands of tweets over the dramatic incident. Some of it was anger from Chelsea fans (and even neutral observers) at Kepa’s unprofessional act, but a majority of the tweets were on the humorous side.
Here’s a selection, starting with a subtle dig from City captain Vincent Kompany:
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