“Maybe it’s karma stuff” – Frank Leboeuf makes bold claim on ‘horrendous’ Kepa penalty miss that resulted in Chelsea defeat to Liverpool 

Frank Leboeuf has suggested that it could be 'karma' coming back to haunt Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after his missed penalty in the Blues' Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

It was a nail-biting final at the Wembley Stadium in London between the two English giants, with Jurgen Klopp's side having the final laugh. The game finished 0-0 after 120 minutes and Liverpool eventually managed to overcome the Blues after a dramatic penalty shootout.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was brought in by Thomas Tuchel in place of Edouard Mendy for the penalties, was the only player to fail to convert his spot kick. The most expensive goalkeeper of all time skied his effort over the bar resulting in Liverpool clinching the League cup for a record ninth time.

Leboeuf suggested it could be karma coming back to bite Kepa for what he did with Maurizio Sarri three years back. The keeper famously refused to be substituted in extra time in the 2019 League Cup final before Manchester City went on to beat the Blues on penalties.

Former Blues defender Leboeuf told ESPN FC:

"I don’t want to be harsh on Kepa but maybe it’s karma stuff. Remember that he didn’t want to be substituted some years ago on a penalty shootout and Chelsea lost. It’s maybe what somebody up there decided to punish him about."

The World Cup winner with France in 1998 insisted that it was unfair that Mendy had to come off for Kepa for the penalties.

The Senegal international made some brilliant saves to keep the Blues in the game. The Frenchman continued:

"I think it’s a little bit unfair to Edouard Mendy who made his national team win in AFCON, stopping some penalties in the shootout. Nothing is fair, nothing is unfair, it’s just a decision made by the technical staff and players just have to accept it."

The 54-year-old did not want to blame Tuchel or his coaching staff for subbing out Mendy for Kepa. However, the former Chelsea defender described the Spaniard's spot-kick as ‘horrendous’ and compared it to a conversion in rugby. Leboeuf added:

"We cannot really criticise the technical staff for taking that decision and getting all the responsibilities of it. It wasn’t the turning point. The turning point was that Kepa is not a penalty shooter, it’s not that he’s not a good goalkeeper. The penalty that he shot was horrendous, it was like a rugby [conversion]. So, the conversion was successful."

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Chelsea and Liverpool both fought well for the trophy

Despite the fact that neither side were able to find a breakthrough in 120 minutes, the game was still a fascinating contest. A number of goals were ruled out for offside while both goalkeepers made several big saves.

It was a brilliant tactical battle between two German managers, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel. It was Klopp who had the final laugh on the night. Both sides are still in the FA Cup and the Champions League and could find themselves in another battle for silverware.