On any list of the footballers you’d least like to take on in a sprint, Lucas Moura would rank high. The Tottenham Hotspur winger has a rapid sixth gear, and he had shifted into it shortly before the hour mark of the League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea on Wednesday night.
The race was on. As Lucas chased down a through-ball, Kepa Arrizabalaga took him on, head on, advancing from the Chelsea goal. The speedster and the keeper reached the ball inside the Chelsea penalty area almost simultaneously. Lucas fell forward after their impact and a penalty was awarded. Thankfully for Kepa, VAR revealed not a foul but a tackle so finely timed any centre-half would have beamed with pride on seeing the replay.
Thanks to VAR, a later Harry Kane ‘goal’ was ruled out for offside, Kepa forgiven, with the offside call, for the misjudged pass that had conceded possession to Spurs in the build up. By the end of the night, he was celebrating a place in the final and a second successive clean sheet against Spurs in the space of eight days. He will be keen to maintain that record when the clubs meet again in the Premier League in eight days’ time.
First, though, Saturday’s summit meeting of the most prolific team in England’s top division, Manchester City and the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, the status Kepa still retains. He is also by far the priciest understudy goalkeeper in the game.
The €80 million ($91.8m) paid by Chelsea to Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2018 is a burdensome gauge by which Kepa is perpetually judged. Had his poor pass out from the back been punished by an onside Kane at Tottenham, he would have anticipated a cascade of criticism around the size of his fee and the frequency of his failings. "Negative coverage sometimes goes too far,” Kepa wrote in The Players Tribune, where he also noted that his record-breaking price-tag “felt like a huge responsibility”.
Had he mistimed that bold tackle, with an outstretched left leg on Moura, and conceded a penalty, sceptics would have referenced the €80m again even before the spot-kick was taken. Incidentally, Kepa may well have saved it: his record at keeping out spot-kicks is outstanding.
But that penalty-stopping record - he has starred in three Chelsea victories via shoot-outs in Cup matches this season - is not enough to elevate Kepa to first-choice gloveman at the club who invested so heavily in him. He lost his starting place in the side at the beginning of last season, having been dropped at the end of the previous campaign, 2019/20.
He knew the then Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, had advised the club’s board to seek a new keeper and the immediate success of Edouard Mendy, bought for a little under €30m from Rennes, pushed Kepa back in the hierarchy.
Tottenham 0 Chelsea 1: player ratings
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SPURS RATINGS: Pierluigi Gollini 5 – Conte’s decision to give back-to-back starts to the on-loan keeper from Atlanta over Hugo Lloris will be questioned. He made a couple of smart saves, but his performance was tarnished by a mistake made in the 18th minute, allowing Rudiger to score after failing to clear a corner. EPA -
Japhet Tanganga 5 – Did not look comfortable in his defensive duties, failing to track Rudiger on multiple set pieces, which led to the Chelsea defender scoring. AP Photo -
Davinson Sanchez 6 – Struggled in a dominant Chelsea display where he gave away possession cheaply at times. Headed a clearance straight at Werner early on, but the German forward couldn’t convert. EPA -
Ben Davies 6 – Looked to make amends for an own goal scored in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge but the defender repeatedly failed to stay goal-side against Lukaku, and he was lucky that the Belgian forward could not punish his mistakes. EPA -
Emerson Royal 7 – Offered some positive attacking play for Spurs down the right and a powerful header was forced wide by Kepa after 60 minutes. EPA -
Matt Doherty 5 - Out of position at left-wing-back and he never looked comfortable before being taken off at 65 minutes. EPA -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 7 – A solid performance from the Dane. Came close with a deflected shot on 31 minutes and shortly afterwards thought he’d won a penalty, but it was overruled by VAR as the initial contact was outside the area. AFP -
Harry Winks 6 – Tried to make things happen in the middle of the park but he was often pinned into his own half and so could not make any impact on the game. Getty Images -
Lucas Moura 7 – His direct running appeared to be the only threat to the Chelsea defence. Drove forward at 13 minutes but sent his shot wayward. AFP -
Giovani Lo Celso 7 – A determined performance from the Argentine who made a vital block on Sarr after 15 minutes and again at 51 minutes. EPA -
Harry Kane 6 – A subdued performance from the captain who saw his goal disallowed for offside after 63 minutes. He could have equalised just after the half-hour mark, but he couldn’t get on the end of Sanchez’ flick on from the corner. Reuters -
SUB: Ryan Sessegnon (Matt Doherty, 65) 5 – A frustrating cameo for the 21-year-old who lacked quality and could not seem to keep possession. Denied by Kepa in additional time. EPA -
SUB: Bryan Gil (Lo Celso, 71) N/A – Lively performance with a lovely reverse heel pass to Emerson Royal at the 78-minute mark. Getty Images -
SUB: Oliver Skipp (Winks, 81) N/A – Could not get into the game following a long pause due to an incident in the crowd that saw eight minutes of stoppage time. AP Photo -
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga makes a save during the League Cup semi-final second leg win over Tottenham Hotspur. AP -
Malang Sarr 8 – Another impressive performance. Looked assured at the back and dangerous when he brought the ball out of defence. Dominated the left flank with Hudson-Odoi. AFP -
Andreas Christensen 7 – A solid enough display in defence other than a moment that allowed Tottenham a free-kick in a dangerous area after the Dane clattered into Lo Celso just outside the box after six minutes. Reuters -
Antonio Rudiger 8 – Marked his return with a dominating performance. Conceded a free kick for a clumsy challenge on Hojbjerg, which VAR ruled outside the box, but leapt high to prevent any danger from the set piece. Scored the only goal of the game after beating Gollini to Mount’s corner. Man of the match. AFP -
Cesar Azpilicueta 6 – Did not offer much in attack or defence. Blocked Tanganga to allow Rudiger to get free and score the opening goal. Getty Images -
Callum Hudson-Odoi 8 – The 21-year-old was involved in plenty of the action and his link-up play was excelled. Forced a smart save from Gollini at 23 minutes following a darting run. AFP -
Jorginho 7 – A comfortable night for the Italian who worked hard until being substituted in the final moments of the game. EPA -
Mateo Kovacic 7 – The in-form midfielder controlled the game until he was replaced after 77 minutes. Reuters -
Mason Mount 6 – A quieter night than usual but he was key to the Chelsea press that troubled Spurs in the first half. Whipped in the corner that assisted Rudiger’s goal. Reuters -
Timo Werner 7 – A bright first half saw a great chance at eight minutes, but the German sent it high and wide. His impact faded after the break, and he was replaced on 66 minutes. EPA -
Romelu Lukaku 7 – The Belgian striker returned to the side in the reverse fixture following the fallout of his unsanctioned interview and he spearheaded the ruthless Chelsea press in the first half. Tried and failed to get on the scoresheet and came closest with a wild shot after 69 minutes. Getty Images -
SUB: Marcos Alonso (Werner, 66) 7 – Got involved with a good delivery to Lukaku after 69 minutes. Getty Images -
SUB: Thiago Silva (Christensen, 66) 6 – Brought on after 66 minutes to strengthen up his side after a spell of Tottenham pressure, marking his return from isolation. Getty Images -
SUB: Hakim Ziyech (Mount, 67) 6 – Had a shot blocked shortly after coming on but made little contribution after this. AFP -
SUB: N’Golo Kante (Kovacic, 77) N/A – Had a run out on his return to the bench after Covid-19 isolation. Getty Images -
SUB: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Jorginho, 82) N/A – Ineffective with little time to make an impact. Reuters
Mendy is currently in Cameroon with his country, Senegal, at an Africa Cup of Nations where he anticipates being involved well into the last week of the tournament. That means Kepa has the Chelsea gloves for a make-or-break period, perhaps lasting into the second week of February, in his club’s bid to stay in the Premier League title race.
Saturday’s assignment at the home of the league leaders, a City 10 points clear of second-placed Chelsea, will carry particular memories of the ups and downs of Kepa’s Chelsea career.
There was the painful six goals conceded on his first visit to the Etihad in his debut English season. There was the "misunderstanding" - as Kepa terms it - with his first Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri at the end of extra-time in the 2019 League Cup final against City, when he was substituted before the deciding penalty shoot-out.
Sarri thought the Spaniard was injured; Kepa protested he was not. The exchange between the two as veteran substitute gloveman Willy Caballero was brought on to face the spot-kicks was hot-tempered. City won the penalties.
There was last season’s FA Cup semi-final victory over City, when he was picked by a relatively new manager Thomas Tuchel, who over the last 11 months has set about rebuilding Kepa’s lowered confidence and backed him as number one in the domestic Cups.
There was the Champions League final against City last May. Kepa cherishes a photo of himself from that night, ecstatically lifting the trophy after Chelsea’s 1-0 win. Mendy had played the match, with Kepa on the bench, but the reserve keeper interprets his joy in that picture as a symbol of “how close we are as a team,” adding “the coaches deserve recognition for making every one of us feel important”.
Kepa is vitally important now and for the crucial weeks ahead.
