The League Cup final ended in dramatic fashion. The 22nd penalty flew into the clouds – and caused a lot of questions. Also to Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel.
The question inevitably arose after the 120 minutes at Wembley: what punchline would this penalty shoot-out in the League Cup final hold? Who would produce that “him of all people”?
Would Romelu Lukaku miss? The seven-ball striker whose goal – like so many others – had not counted before the showdown at the point? Or perhaps Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, who had already lost the penalty shoot-out in the Africa Cup final? Also because, as the fifth shooter, he had not been able to take part. Or Chelsea’s Jorginho, with his shot that failed in the European Championship final at the same venue? No, they all scored. And the three Germans in Chelsea’s ranks also converted.
The punchline, in the end, was provided by the goalkeepers. While Liverpool’s stand-in keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, a former striker, slotted in easily, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa spooned the leather across the face of goal as if he had been about to kick a field goal. The Spaniard had been an extra substitute just before the end of extra time. In the European Super Cup final against Villarreal at the end of August, this move by Tuchel had worked out wonderfully. Kepa came on for Edouard Mendy, saved two penalties and helped the Blues to the title.
This time it didn’t work. Kepa didn’t save any of the eleven penalties, although not all of them were perfectly kicked – and then missed miserably too.
But Tuchel made himself the scapegoat. “If you want to blame someone, blame me. I make the decisions and I don’t make them to be the hero,” the 48-year-old said after the game. “It’s tough and we feel for him but don’t blame him. We made the decision as we did before the last penalty shoot-out because Kepa trains with the players every day. And they know how good he is,” Tuchel continued.
For Kepa, the evening obviously left no deep scars. “Falling and getting up. Disappointed after the great effort during the tournament. We’ll keep working. Thank you Chelsea family for your support,” the 27-year-old wrote on Instagram.
Of all people, however, a long-serving Liverpool player rumbled mightily against Tuchel, Kepa and the decision. “That’s what you get for thinking you’re smarter than you are,” Jamie Redknapp said after the game. He said it was inexplicable to him how anyone could get the idea that they could not win with Mendy in goal. “It’s nonsense and it proved to be nonsense tonight. Mendy is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but instead you put Kepa in.” The whole thing had been “ridiculous”.
In addition, Redknapp, son of long-time coach Harry Redknapp and cousin of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, criticised Kepa’s antics on penalties – the Spaniard had already picked up a yellow card for unsporting behaviour in the Super Cup against Villarreal. “I didn’t like his behaviour when the penalties were taken – and then he takes one of the worst penalties you’ve ever seen.”
Mendy might have thought his piece too. The world goalkeeper was on target for Senegal in the penalty shoot-out at the Africa Cup final. His save helped the team to the title then.
