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Furious Maurizio Sarri said these five unfettered words to Kepa in dressing room

Sudarshan Venkatesan
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Maurizio Sarri was unrestrainable in his emotion towards Kepa Arrizabalaga in the dressing room after a nightmare at Wembley. 

More than a Manchester City retaining their trophy for the first time in their history, Chelsea’s shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga grabbed all the headlines for his silly behavior during the dying moments of the extra time.

When the Spanish International had a cramp, Maurizio Sarri thought that Kepa will not be able to continue and wanted the number two Willy Caballero to face the spot kicks. However, the former Atletico Bilbao youth product refused to leave the pitch and was adamant that he would stay between the sticks after the extra time to face the penalties.

In the post-match interview, Sarri said that there was a misunderstanding between him and Kepa because he thought that the World’s costliest goalkeeper was suffering from a cramp. However, with the bizarre incidents taking place, the Spanish International decided to stand up between the sticks.

Even though the Italian International has said that to cover up the face of Kepa, statistically, Chelsea’s number two Willy Caballero is a better penalty stopper and won the cup for Manchester City in the penalty shoot-out three years ago.

Kepa Arrizabalaga took to social media to apologize for the loss and said there was a misunderstanding between him and Sarri.

Despite all these interviews, Maurizio Sarri was infuriated with the actions of Kepa Arrizabalaga and gave a rollicking in the dressing room after the game.

A furious Sarri in the private shouted: “How could you do this?”

Defender Antonio Rudiger attempted to diffuse the situation between the pair, having been seen talking to the irritated boss before the penalty shootout.

For all these actions, Kepa has been fined one week’s wages and admitted that he made a huge mistake and sent a message to the fans in social media regarding the same.

Sarri said “Kepa and I have spoken about the incident. It was a good conversation.

“There was a misunderstanding yesterday but he realises he made a big mistake in the way he reacted. He has apologised to me, his team-mates and the club.

“It is up to the club if they want to discipline him according to the club rules, but for me this matter is now closed.

“The team performance as a whole was extremely positive and it is a shame to see how this incident has overshadowed our efforts in what was a very competitive cup final. Everyone’s focus is now on the next game and we must all now put this behind us.”

It has been a tough week for the club as they were hit a one-year transfer ban. Putting all these things to one corner, Chelsea will be hoping to beat Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as they strive to finish in the top four.

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