In the 2019 League Cup final against Manchester City, Kepa Arrizabalaga had defied his manager Maurizio Sarri by refusing to allow himself to be replaced by the supposed shootout specialist Willy Caballero before the match went to penalties, and then failing to deliver the shootout victory for Chelsea.
On Sunday, Sarri received his karmic payback. Kepa, now allegedly a shootout specialist himself, was summoned from the bench at the last minute for his manager, only to first torch his reputation as a specialist by conceding all 11 Liverpool penalties, including one that seemed to hit the sweet spot of his right glove on its way into the net, and then missing his own penalty to lose another final for Chelsea.
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- February 28, 2022
