In terms of domestic cup finals, the past six years have not been kind to Chelsea and their supporters.
Last season, for example, Chelsea lost the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, with Virgil van Dijk scoring in the 118th minute of extra time. Heartbreaking.
It is not the first time that the Blues have tasted defeat in the League Cup final. They also lost to Liverpool in 2022 and Manchester City in 2019.
Their clash against Pep Guardiola’s side was unforgettable, for all the wrong reasons. Chelsea were beaten on penalties, while a certain Kepa Arrizabalaga infamously went rogue that afternoon.
Kepa Arrizabalaga refuses to come off in Carabao Cup final
It was on this day exactly six years ago when Kepa refused to be substituted during Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final tie against City.
With the game heading to penalties and Kepa seemingly struggling with cramp, Maurizio Sarri tried to replace him with Willy Caballero, who is now part of Chelsea’s backroom staff.
Having a good record at saving penalties, it was a substitution that many Chelsea supporters would have welcomed. However, Kepa point-blank refused to come off in scenes that absolutely shocked English football.
The match eventually went to a penalty shoot-out and the Spaniard was able to save Leroy Sane’s spot-kick. But it was not enough, as the Blues went on to lose 4-3 after Jorginho and David Luiz’s misses.
It was an incredible stunt that Kepa pulled, one that did not pay off. While the 30-year-old did deny Sane, he was beaten by Sergio Aguero’s very poor shot.
Kepa went on to help Chelsea win the Europa League that season, but his career at Stamford Bridge went downhill from that point.
The Spain international was eventually dropped by Sarri’s successor Frank Lampard and replaced by Edouard Mendy. Kepa is now performing at Bournemouth, though, putting his Chelsea failures behind him.
Kepa’s Bournemouth revival
Kepa’s reputation in the English game was in tatters at one point and not because of what happened at Wembley six years ago.
His performances at Chelsea were not befitting of the world’s most expensive goalkeeper. He made mistake after mistake during his second season at the club, hence why Lampard decided to drop him and bring in a new shot-stopper.
Fast forward to now, though, and Kepa has really turned things around. The former Athletic Bilbao star has easily been one of the best No.1s in the Premier League this term.
Kepa could not prevent Bournemouth from losing against Wolverhampton Wanderers over the weekend, but he still had a very good game.
| Kepa vs Wolves | Total |
| Saves | 5 |
| Punches | 1 |
| Runs out (successful) | 2 (2) |
| Saves from inside box | 2 |
Right now, he actually has the highest save percentage in the Premier League, according to FBref, which is 77.2%.
Kepa, then, is proving to be a good goalkeeper. But after his rebellious act at Wembley during the 2018/19 season and mistakes between the sticks under Lampard, it looks like it was never meant to be for Kepa at Chelsea.
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