ARTICLES

“Very strong”- Tuchel heaps praise on 26-year-old Chelsea ace after penalty heroics vs Villa

Thomas Tuchel delighted with Chelsea ace Kepa Arrizabalaga after Aston Villa game

Speaking in the post-match interview (h/t The Mirror), Thomas Tuchel has praised the performance of Chelsea ace Kepa Arrizabalaga after his penalty heroics against Aston Villa in the EFL Cup.

The Blues came eventually came through on the day as they entered the fourth round of the EFL Cup after defeating Aston Villa. However, it was a hard-fought battle.

Timo Werner gave the West London club the lead after just 10 minutes into the second half as he scored his first goal of the season. Villa, however, soon equalized, thanks to a bullet header by Cameron Archer.

Kepa Arrizabalaga helped Chelsea beat Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup. (imago Images)

The game went to penalties and Chelsea’s hero on the night was Kepa Arrizabalaga yet again. The Spaniard saved one penalty from Marvelous Nakamba, which proved to be the difference-maker after Reece James put Chelsea’s fifth penalty into the roof of the net. 

This is not the first time this season that Arrizabalaga has produced heroics in a penalty shoot-out as he also did so against Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup final last month. Tuchel was delighted with his shot-stopper’s performance against Aston Villa.

Kepa Arrizabalaga produced similar performances in the penalty shoot-out against Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup final. (GETTY Images)

“Kepa is the man again. He’s very strong with penalties. It helps if you have had good experiences, even in penalty shoot-outs, so we focused on that.”

Tuchel was also pleased that some of his fringe stars got some minutes out on the pitch. He said (h/t The Mirror):

“It was a good game, full of energy, good chances, two teams who tried everything to win. It was a nice game to watch. This is also part of what we do: to have entertainment. I’m happy because we won, and we have some competitive minutes in our players’ legs.”

Thomas Tuchel was delighted with Kepa’s performance. (imago Images)

More Chelsea News

Kepa, however, will now be hoping to retain his spot for Saturday’s clash against Manchester City as there are still doubts over Edouard Mendy’s fitness levels for the weekend. 

Varun Pai

Recent Posts

Chelsea star backed to make Old Trafford switch; ‘fresh opportunity’ on the cards

Jadon Sancho has hit the ground running in his season-long loan at Chelsea, with the Blues eyeing a permanent deal…

4 days ago

Chelsea star to push for Stamford Bridge exit; Manchester United keen

Chelsea appear to be rediscovering their form under Enzo Maresca, aiming for a top-four finish as they currently sit third…

5 days ago

Chelsea are eager to make a massive move for Barcelona right-back

In their bid to further bolster their defense, Chelsea are aiming to make a big move for the star right-back…

6 days ago

Chelsea unwilling to sanction sale of 10-goal star to Premier League rival

Christopher Nkunku is keen to leave Chelsea in January over lack of game time in the Premier League There has…

1 week ago

Chelsea lead the race for 23-goal European star to address striking woes

Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres is on the radar of Chelsea Chelsea are riding high in the Premier League, sitting…

1 week ago

Chelsea shortlist two names as Maresca keen to strengthen one key area

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca eyeing defensive reinforcements in January Chelsea could well find themselves in the market to improve their…

1 week ago