Jamie Redknapp hit out at Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after the Spaniard missed the decisive penalty in the Carabao Cup final.
The 27-year-old was brought off the bench by manager Thomas Tuchel with just moments remaining at Wembley Stadium, with the manager hoping the keeper might repeat his heroics of the Super Cup final.
Things did not go to plan, though, with the former Athletic Club stopper failing to keep out a single one of Liverpool's 11 penalties before sending his own spot-kick high over Caoimhin Kelleher's crossbar.
Former Liverpool midfielder Redknapp was unimpressed with the penalty, but he had even more to say about the goalkeeper's behaviour before he handed victory to Jurgen Klopp's team.
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"I hope it puts to bed the substitutions now of putting goalkeepers on," Redknapp said after Chelsea's defeat.
"Edouard Mendy is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and you bring on Kepa instead of him, ridiculous."
"I didn’t like his behaviour when the penalties were being taken and then he took one of the worst penalties you’ve ever seen.
"I don’t like it, I don’t understand why you do it. You have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, he should’ve stayed in there in the first place."
While Kepa has been Chelsea 's saviour in the past, including helping Chelsea beat Aston Villa in the earlier rounds of this season's Carabao Cup, Mendy also has a notable penalty shoot-out victory in his recent past.
The Senegal keeper was between the sticks as his national team won the Africa Cup of Nations, saving Mohanad Lasheen's spot-kick in the final.
However, Kepa had replaced his teammate late on in the Super Cup in August and was trusted by Tuchel once again.
Chelsea had their chances to win the game inside 120 minutes, with Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic squandering big opportunities, while Romelu Lukaku had a goal disallowed during extra-time after the narrowest of offside calls.
Chelsea boss Tuchel aimed to protect his keeper after the defeat, taking the blame himself after Liverpool prevailed 11-10 on penalties.
"We feel bad for [Kepa], of course. It was a bit harsh that he was the guy to miss the one and only penalty but there is no blame," the former Paris Saint-Germain boss said.
"I take the decisions when I take the decisions and I can't re-judge them when I know the outcome.
"We don't know what would've happened if we left Edou [Mendy] on the pitch.
"No blame on Kepa. Blame on me as I'm the guy who takes the decisions. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. This is life as a football coach."
