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Having brushed aside Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals, Chelsea took on Liverpool in the EFL Cup final at Wembley on Sunday evening.
Thomas Tuchel’s men carved out numerous opportunities to win the game, but could not find a breakthrough. Ultimately, the match went to penalties, where the Blues missed the last spot-kick to hand Liverpool the title.
The west Londoners dealt with the Reds’ frantic high-press expertly in the opening minutes and got their first chance of the match inside 10 minutes. Unfortunately, Christian Pulisic could not apply the finishing touch to give his side the lead.
Five minutes before half-time, Cesar Azpilicueta had an opportunity to find the back of the net, but skied his effort over the bar.
Mason Mount added to the Blues’ frustration, missing two great chances to put his side ahead in the second half. Kai Havertz did ripple Liverpool’s netting in the second half, but the goal was ultimately ruled out for offside by the VAR.
Romelu Lukaku came agonizingly close to winning the game for Chelsea in added injury time, but Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher was up to the task.
Two more goals were ruled out for Chelsea in extra-time before the game, still goalless, went into penalties. Every player in blue converted from the spot, except substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who ended up missing the all-important final spot-kick. His miss helped Liverpool bag their first trophy of the season.
Here are five Chelsea players who underperformed in Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Liverpool:
#5 Timo Werner
Timo Werner was introduced in place of Christian Pulisic in the 74th minute.
The German worked hard to help his team, but just could not provide the penetration the Londoners required.
Aside from setting Kai Havertz up for his disallowed goal, Werner did not do anything of note. The forward made only 12 passes, had zero efforts on target, and lost possession six times.
He did convert his penalty, but Kelleher was mighty close to keeping it out.
#4 Christian Pulisic
The first big chance of the EFL Cup final fell to Christian Pulisic in the sixth minute. With acres of space to aim for on his left, Pulisic somehow managed to direct his effort straight at Kelleher.
Had the American kept his cool, the Blues could have had the perfect start against one of the best teams in the world.
The forward made only eight passes in 74 minutes, lost four duels and possession 13 times. A night to forget for the USA international.
#3 N’Golo Kante
To no one’s surprise, Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante took to the field against Liverpool on Sunday. Following his confident performance against Lille on Tuesday, the Frenchman looked determined to produce another towering performance.
Unfortunately, the 2018 World Cup winner was smothered by Liverpool’s spirited midfielders and ended up having an uncharacteristically quiet outing.
As always, Kante was tirelessly chasing down every single ball, but rarely made inroads into the Liverpool box. Over the course of the match, the France international neither managed to keep the effort on target nor did he provide a key pass.
His long-ball distribution was also mediocre, with him registering only three long balls in six attempts.
The former Leicester City man was, however, as clinical as ever from the spot.
Taking the Blues’ seventh penalty, Kante went for and successfully found the left side of the net, giving Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher no chance whatsoever.
#2 Kepa Arrizabalaga
Despite Edouard Mendy’s exceptional work over the course of the match, Thomas Tuchel decided to bring in Kepa Arrizabalaga just ahead of the penalty shoot-out.
The Spaniard generally guards Chelsea's goal in shootouts, but ended up emerging as the culprit at Wembley.
Not only did the former Athletic Bilbao keeper sky his decisive penalty kick, but he also failed to make even a single stop.
His positioning, for the most part, was wrong, and he rarely went in the right direction.
When he was in the correct position, for Virgil van Dijk's kick, for example, he was beaten for pace.
#1 Mason Mount
While Kepa Arrizabalaga was undoubtedly the culprit of the shootout, Chelsea poster boy Mason Mount had to be dubbed the wrongdoer at regular time. The England international squandered not one, not two, but three glorious chances to put his team ahead, but failed to apply the finishing touches.
He got his first chance just before half-time when Kai Havertz sent Mount through on goal. The England international somehow fired wide from point-blank range.
Four minutes into the second half, the forward found himself one-on-one with the keeper. Once again, he lost his composure and hit the inside of the post.
His third attempt on the night came a couple of minutes before the hour mark. This time, he got on the end of a counter-attack only to hit his effort straight at Kelleher.
An uncharacteristically wayward display by one of the best talents in English football.
