• Sergio Aguero lies on the ground after his clash with Jorginho. Action Images via Reuters
    Sergio Aguero lies on the ground after his clash with Jorginho. Action Images via Reuters
  • Chelsea's Jorginho misses from the penalty spot. Action Images via Reuters
    Chelsea's Jorginho misses from the penalty spot. Action Images via Reuters
  • Chelsea's Jorginho, left, fouls Manchester City's Raheem Sterling. AP Photo
    Chelsea's Jorginho, left, fouls Manchester City's Raheem Sterling. AP Photo
  • Jorginho of Chelsea is booked after a foul on Raheem Sterling. Getty Images
    Jorginho of Chelsea is booked after a foul on Raheem Sterling. Getty Images
  • Chelsea's Jorginho reacts after missing a penalty during the shootout. Reuters
    Chelsea's Jorginho reacts after missing a penalty during the shootout. Reuters
  • Manchester City's Sergio Aguero in action against Chelsea's Jorginho. EPA
    Manchester City's Sergio Aguero in action against Chelsea's Jorginho. EPA
  • Chelsea's Jorginho reacts after missing a penalty during the shootout. Reuters
    Chelsea's Jorginho reacts after missing a penalty during the shootout. Reuters
  • Chelsea's Jorginho reacts during the penalty shootout as his team mates look on. Reuters
    Chelsea's Jorginho reacts during the penalty shootout as his team mates look on. Reuters

Jorginho should have had Wembley's fastest red card, then he flopped with a galloping penalty


Ian Oxborrow
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The League Cup final may have been lacking goals as Chelsea took Manchester City to penalties, but it certainly didn't lack drama.

And at the centre of it all was Chelsea's Jorginho, the midfield metronome who has come to embody his side's recent struggles under beleaguered manager Maurizio Sarri.

The Italian wasted no time in making his mark on the match - and on City's Sergio Aguero.

The clock had barely started ticking...

It was literally a case of blink and you missed it as referee Jon Moss blew his whistle to start the match and Jorginho, lining up on the edge of the centre circle, charged straight into Aguero with a raised arm.

The incident happened right in front of the referee, although even the television replays struggled to deduce whether he was looking at it. And it was also tricky to see whether Jorginho connected with Aguero's chest or face, with the Argentine hitting the deck holding his head before making a miraculous recovery.

What was the time on the clock? one second. Beat that!

Should he have been sent off?

Had the incident happened anywhere else on the pitch and at a different time in the match then Jorginho would undoubtedly have seen red. There's an argument that reducing one team to 10 men from the outset would ruin the match, especially a cup final, as a spectacle.

Rules are rules however, and whether it's the first minute or the 90th, the officials have to abide by them and offer consistency.

It would have been the fastest red card ever

You'd have to be sent off before the whistle is blown to start the match to get a faster infringement than this one.

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard was sent off 43 seconds after coming on as a second half substitute against Manchester United in 2015, while Sheffield United's Keith Gillespie lasted 12 seconds against Reading in 2007, again after coming on as a sub.

There is, however, reports of a match in the UK where a player, Cross Farm Park Celtic striker Lee Todd, was sent off after two seconds in 2000 for swearing.

In a professional match, Giuseppe Lorenzo of Italian club Bologna was sent off after 10 seconds against Parma in 1990 for hitting an opponent.

What was Jorginho doing with that penalty?

Absurd penalty run-ups have become a thing in recent months, what with Paul Pogba and his ridiculous little trot approach.

And now we have the "Jorginho gallop".

A penalty shoot-out in a cup final is not the time to be horsing about, but Jorginho saw fit to add in a jump as if he was taking part in an equestrian event. Ederson dived to his left and comfortably saved as City went on to win the shootout.

Before this instance he had scored 11 times from the spot and missed once in his professional career.

His incidents were overshadowed by Kepa

Yes, thankfully for Jorginho, his teammate Kepa Arrizabalaga has made most of the headlines after another extraordinary incident when he refused to come off the pitch and be substituted for spot-kick expert Willy Caballero just before the penalty shootout.

Manager Sarri had a meltdown on the touchline. You can read more about the incident here.

  • Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko and team mates celebrate after winning the penalty shootout. Action Images via Reuters
    Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko and team mates celebrate after winning the penalty shootout. Action Images via Reuters
  • Manchester City players react during the penalty shootout. Action Images via Reuters
    Manchester City players react during the penalty shootout. Action Images via Reuters
  • Chelsea players react during the penalty shootout. Action Images via Reuters
    Chelsea players react during the penalty shootout. Action Images via Reuters
  • Manchester City's Raheem Sterling scores from the penalty spot during the shootout to win the match. Action Images via Reuters
    Manchester City's Raheem Sterling scores from the penalty spot during the shootout to win the match. Action Images via Reuters
  • Chelsea's David Luiz misses from the penalty spot during the shootout. Action Images via Reuters
    Chelsea's David Luiz misses from the penalty spot during the shootout. Action Images via Reuters
  • Chelsea's Eden Hazard scores from the penalty spot during the shootout. Action Images via Reuters
    Chelsea's Eden Hazard scores from the penalty spot during the shootout. Action Images via Reuters
  • Manchester City's Sergio Aguero scores from the penalty spot during the shootout. Action Images via Reuters
    Manchester City's Sergio Aguero scores from the penalty spot during the shootout. Action Images via Reuters
  • Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea reacts as he refuses to be substituted. Getty Images
    Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea reacts as he refuses to be substituted. Getty Images
  • Aguero shoots under pressure from Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea. Getty Images
    Aguero shoots under pressure from Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea. Getty Images
  • Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, talks to Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Vincent Kompany. Getty Images
    Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, talks to Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Vincent Kompany. Getty Images
  • Aguero in action against Chelsea's Jorginho. EPA
    Aguero in action against Chelsea's Jorginho. EPA
  • Chelsea's Gonzalo Higuain comes on as a substitute to replace Willian. Reuters
    Chelsea's Gonzalo Higuain comes on as a substitute to replace Willian. Reuters
  • Jorginho and team mates before the start of extra time. Reuters
    Jorginho and team mates before the start of extra time. Reuters
  • Manchester City's Fernandinho is shown a yellow card by referee Jonathan Moss. Action Images via Reuters
    Manchester City's Fernandinho is shown a yellow card by referee Jonathan Moss. Action Images via Reuters
  • Aguero heads towards goal. Getty Images
    Aguero heads towards goal. Getty Images
  • Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne in action against Chelsea's Ross Barkley. EPA
    Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne in action against Chelsea's Ross Barkley. EPA
  • Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi in action. Action Images via Reuters
    Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi in action. Action Images via Reuters
  • Hazard runs with the ball under pressure from Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City. Getty Images
    Hazard runs with the ball under pressure from Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City. Getty Images
  • Manchester City's Fernandinho with Hazard as David Luiz reacts. Reuters
    Manchester City's Fernandinho with Hazard as David Luiz reacts. Reuters
  • Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri in action with Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne. Action Images via Reuters
    Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri in action with Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne. Action Images via Reuters
  • Aguero shoots during the Carabao Cup Final. Getty Images
    Aguero shoots during the Carabao Cup Final. Getty Images
  • Sterling battles for possession with Azpilicueta. Getty Images
    Sterling battles for possession with Azpilicueta. Getty Images
  • Chelsea's Ross Barkley and Azpilicueta in action with Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi. Reuters
    Chelsea's Ross Barkley and Azpilicueta in action with Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi. Reuters
  • Fans inside the stadium before the match. Action Images via Reuters
    Fans inside the stadium before the match. Action Images via Reuters
  • Chelsea fans before the match. Action Images via Reuters
    Chelsea fans before the match. Action Images via Reuters

Did Jorginho play well?

Aside from whacking Aguero, missing the penalty in embarrassing fashion and scything down Raheem Sterling in the second half with a tactical foul, he did well in frustrating City across two hours of football.

Chelsea were set up to stop City's free-flowing style and Jorginho was effective in sitting in front of the back four and keeping the ball, while allowing N'Golo Kante to forage further forward.

It wasn't pretty, and Chelsea's fans expect to see more attacking zest from a team that has cost hundreds of millions of pounds, but on this occasion the game plan worked and they were unfortunate to miss out on the silverware.