Kepa says he’s in clear over Blues’ sub bust-up
when an outcome can be decisive and, from the walk to the spot to the run-up to the emphatic strike, Sterling never looked wilting under it.
A confident, happy footballer doing a confident, happy thing.
And giving Guardiola’s City another trophy, one that will be savoured in a different way as they got over the line without being at their most beautiful.
In fact, they found a way to win when they were nowhere near their most beautiful.
Which you have to do because unless you are Lionel Messi, no team or individual can provide unremitting excellence.
Kevin de Bruyne is allowed days like these when both the strength and direction of his passing were a touch awry.
Fernandinho, whose injury could be a significant blow, can be excused some intercepting misjudgments, David Silva let off for a relative lack of influence.
Chelsea performed with great discipline and as they became a touch more expansive, paraded the game’s most creative and dangerous player in Eden Hazard.
So this was a triumph City eventually had to grind out, although no-one could have envisaged the unedifying drama that erupted minutes ahead of the end of extra time.
Kepa somehow gets cramp, Sarri understandably does not want a cramped keeper out there for the potential shootout but the young Spaniard will not budge.
Cue Sarri meltdown. Understandable. Short of marching on and dragging him off by the collar, there was nothing Sarri could do.
The ramifications, more likely for the boss than a disobedient player, will be significant and it will go down as a landmark moment of this season.
But, for now, do not let it completely overshadow the Sterling strike that sealed a win that City probably just about deserved, if only for their more attacking approach.
A few days ago, the winger, after the acclaim for scoring the winner in that comeback against RED-FACED Kepa Arrizabalaga insisted his Wembley bust-up was nothing but a big misunderstanding as the keeper denied talk of mutiny at Chelsea.
The Spanish keeper refused to come off when directed to do so by Blues gaffer Maurizio Sarri after going down in extra time with cramp.
But he claimed he didn’t defy an order – even if TV images looked damning.
He said: “It wasn’t that I was refusing to be substituted, it was a way of trying to tell the bench I was fine.
“It’s not the best image. I have spoken with the boss. It was misunderstood.
“I understand that on TV, on social media, they’re talking about this but I’m here to explain it, to say it wasn’t my intention to go against the manager.
“We have spoken now and I was only trying to say, ‘I’m fine’. He thought I wasn’t fine. It was a tense moment with a lot happening.”
Kepa could only save one of Manchester City’s five penalties in the resulting shootout as Pep Guardiola’s side claimed the trophy.
But the 24-year-old said: “We played a good level against one of the best teams in the world. We were close to winning, we’re sad we didn’t. The team needs to continue playing like this.” Schalke, hinted he was, effectively, going to cut out and keep the positive headlines. At this rate, he is going to have to find a lot more room in his scrapbook. Delighted City boss Pep Guardiola said: “Compliments to Chelsea, they played incredibly. I’m happy to win back to back in this competition for the first time in the club’s history. “The important thing with penalties is personality and we did it. “Being in so many competitions is demanding and tough and we have players injured. We have three more to play for, the Premier League, Cup and Champions League.”