Questions about Chelsea’s ownership and the club’s uncomfortable position over the Russian invasion of Ukraine hung heavy in the air ahead of the Carabao Cup Final but, over the course of 120 pulsating minutes and a clinical penalty shoot-out it was hard to focus on anything but the football.
While Roman Abramovich has so far failed to condemn Vladimir Putin or the war in Ukraine, many of Chelsea’s fans made their own positions clear, with a number of yellow and blue flags and banners at both ends of Wembley yesterday.
There was a minute’s applause before kick-off to “show solidarity” with the Ukrainian people and captains Cesar Azpilicueta and Jordan Henderson took to the field carrying yellow and blue wreaths, before both teams came together for a photo in another display of support.
If the occasion began sombrely, it concluded in hilarity for everyone supporting Liverpool when Kepa Arrizabalaga, the goalkeeper who was brought on for the shoot-out, failed to save 11 consecutive spot-kicks before missing the decisive effort. Chelsea lost 11-10 following a breathless 0-0 draw.
There was huge irony in the outcome, particularly given Kepa’s history in this game, specifically his refusal to come off the field in the final minute of extra time before the shoot-out defeat to Manchester City three years ago.
Here, the roles were reversed, with Kepa replacing the excellent Edouard Mendy in the dying moments of the match, given his expertise at penalties.
Thomas Tuchel absolved Kepa of any blame and explained that the outcome did not invalidate his decision.
“I cannot re-judge my decision after the outcome,” the Chelsea head coach said. “We all don’t know what would happen if we left Edou on the pitch. This is how it is, so no blame on him, blame me. I am the guy who takes the decisions. Sometimes it works out or not works out.”
There was more than enough hard evidence to support Tuchel’s decision. The same tactic worked for Chelsea in the European Super Cup win over Villarreal in August, and Kepa has since been involved in the penalty shoot-out wins over Aston Villa and Southampton en route to the final.
Excluding shoot-outs, Kepa has saved seven of the 24 penalties he has faced, while Mendy has kept out just two of 32. Tuchel also pointed to abundant evidence in training that the Spaniard was the best man for the job.
“Kepa is training with the players [on penalties] on a daily basis and they know how good he is,” Tuchel said. “He has simply more time on the training ground to do this than Edou, who plays a lot more. Everyone knows how good he is, how difficult it is to shoot [against him], and this plays a huge part in how we shot today. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make a save — their penalties were brilliantly taken — and it was a bit harsh on him that he was the guy to miss the one and only penalty.”
Regardless, Tuchel’s decision did not escape scrutiny, with Gary Neville in the Sky Sports studio among those to criticise the call.
Neville pointed to Mendy’s performance, and there was some merit in this point. The Senegalese stopper had an outstanding game, for which he surely deserved to named the official man of the match, making a string of saves, including a brilliant double-stop to deny Naby Keita and compatriot Sadio Mane.
Kepa may be the better penalty-saver, but management is about a mix of process and instinct — and in the moment there was a case for Tuchel to opt for the latter after Mendy’s heroic display. He must have been full with confidence and helped his country to win a major trophy in a shoot-out just three weeks ago.
For Tuchel, it was the type of big call based on a defined process which has made him such a success at Chelsea, and the German will have known the risks when he made it. He was always going to be a genius or a fool, and the outcome is unlikely to deter him from making a similar decision in future.
