Manchester City icon Vincent Kompany has admitted he was glad Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero was unable to come on as a substitute to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
After Kepa went down twice with an apparent injury in stoppage time, Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri attempted to bring on Caballero to replace him. However, in bizarre scenes, Kepa refused to leave the field, much to the chagrin of his manager. The game finished 0-0, and City went on to win the game on penalties after Kepa saved just one of their spot kicks.
Speaking after the game, via the Mirror, Kompany said: "
The victory saw City complete part one of a potential quadruple, with the side capable of winning the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup. As things stand, Pep Guardiola are one point behind league leaders Liverpool, in a comfortable position in their Champions League tie with Schalke, and are set to face Championship side Swansea in the cup.
— kepa Arrizabalaga (@kepa_46) February 24, 2019
Kepa has since moved to clarify his actions, and claimed it was a matter of crossed wires as opposed to subordination on his part. The former Athletic Bilbao stopper claimed that his manager falsely believed him to be unable to continue due to an injury, and he was merely letting his coach know that he was more than capable of continuing the match.
The Blues face Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening, and the pressure will be on Maurizio Sarri's side to respond to their defeat. Certainly, they improved greatly from their previous 6-0 shellacking at the hands of the Citizens, and they'll look to take that positive momentum into their hotly anticipated clash against their arch rivals.
Source : 90min