Chelsea’s bright future could fall apart at the seams in wake of Ukraine invasion

As Kepa’s spot-kick flew over the crossbar and into the ecstatic Liverpool fans, bringing down the curtain on a breathless Carabao Cup Final, somewhere Roman Abramovich might have been shaking his head ruefully.

Abramovich has never dealt in lavish displays of emotion during his 19-year ownership of Chelsea, typically meeting their many successes and near misses with the same stoic applause and sheepish smile, at least in public.