SM
England vs. Ireland: 13 hrs 4 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
FL
Premier League | Gameweek 29
Mar 3, 2019 at 2.05pm UK
 
CL

1-2

Chambers (27')
FT(HT: 1-2)
Higuain (20'), Jorginho (31')

How Kepa fared on return to Chelsea line-up

:Headline: How Kepa fared on return to Chelsea line-up: ID:352189: from db_amp
The Spanish goalkeeper was disciplined by the club after refusing to be substituted in the Carabao Cup final.

Kepa Arrizabalaga returned in Chelsea's 2-1 win at Fulham, after being disciplined for his refusal to be substituted in last Sunday's Carabao Cup final.

Here Press Association Sport assesses the 24-year-old goalkeepers's day at Craven Cottage.

Reception

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga returned after being disciplined for his refusal to be substituted in the Carabao Cup final (Adam Davy/PA)

Kepa was fined and dropped by Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri for his "big mistake" at Wembley, but restored after a one-game demotion. The inclusion of the world's most expensive goalkeeper, with Willy Caballero back on the bench, merited barely a ruffle among the visiting supporters, who are yet to adopt a song for their £71.6million capture from Athletic Bilbao.

Communication and distribution

Fulham's Calum Chambers scored past Kepa Arrizabalaga (Adam Davy/PA)

Kepa seems like the quiet sort, which made the Wembley incident all the more surprising. He continued to direct his team-mates at set-pieces, where Fulham exposed Chelsea's defensive flaws. His distribution was fine. One chipped pass to Ryan Sessegnon failed to relieve the pressure as Fulham pressed the Blues back in the first half. Otherwise, Kepa passed short to his four defenders.

Saves and handling

Caballero did not have a save to make in the win over Tottenham. Kepa was busy here. Kevin McDonald's cross appeared to be a regulation catch but it was dropped. Ryan Babel could not capitalise and the goalkeeper regathered, much to his relief. An instinctive save denied Aleksandar Mitrovic, but Calum Chambers scored following the resulting corner. He saved a Tom Cairney effort which skipped off the wet turf just in front of him and denied Joe Bryan in the second half. Mitrovic was denied again in the 88th minute as Kepa saved his header.

amp_article__352189 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-03-03 22:04:37:
html db last update - 2019-03-03 22:04:37 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .