REVOLTING

Chelsea mutiny as Kepa snubs under-pressure Sarri’s bid to bring on Caballero for shoot-out

MAURIZIO SARRI had an incredible Wembley meltdown after his Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted.

The Blues keeper last night insisted he did not mean to disobey his manager in scenes which stunned the national stadium as Manchester City won the EFL Cup on penalties.

Kepa would not come off in extra time of the marathon final, even though Sarri put the substitutes’ board up when the No.1 suffered cramp,

with sub keeper Willy Caballero ready to come on. Italian Sarri lost his temper on the sidelines, shouting and throwing a drinks bottle. He then stormed off down the tunnel before turning back.

As the players gathered before the penalties, the Chelsea boss looked like he was being restrained by Antonio Rudiger as the situation threatened to spiral out of control. Despite saving a penalty from Leroy Sane in the shootout, the Spaniard couldn’t keep Chelsea from defeat. But Kepa said: “It was misunderstood. In no moment was it my intention to disobey the boss. I had been attended to by medics twice, and he thought I wasn’t fit to continue. It was two or three minutes of confusion until the medics got to the bench, and they explained it.

“We’d had a few moments suffering, defending, so it was to stop the match and for the team to draw breath, and not a moment where I was saying I couldn’t continue.”

Chelsea played down the row, which suggests they are backing underpressure Sarri for now and sources told Mirror Sport they were impressed with the team’s performance.

Sarri said: “It was a big misunderstanding. I didn’t want Kepa to go to the penalties with cramp, but realised the situation when the doctor arrived on the bench.

“Kepa was wrong in the way he conducted himself, but mentally he was right because he was able to go to the penalties.”