Kepa kept his fifth clean sheet in a row as Chelsea drew 0-0 with Brentford, but that alone doesn't tell the full story. Over the course of the last two games, the Spaniard has kept a total of 3.52 xG out whilst Chelsea themselves scored two goals from 2.14 xG.
Mason Mount's double at Villa Park went hand in hand with a heroic first half display from the £72m keeper who has started a revival of his Chelsea career. The run of three league clean sheets in a row is the best of his Chelsea career and the first time since 2019 he has has three consecutive shut outs in all competitions.
He did get four in a row under Tuchel but that was by virtue of playing matches in and out of a team. His current run is the best of his entire career.
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Although there could be a sense of luck to his initial matches - Edouard Mendy was injured as Potter took over - his impact has been remarkable nonetheless. The 28-year-old wanted to leave the club over the summer in order to revive his career and was close to doing so, but Todd Boehly wouldn't sanction a loan deal as he wanted assurances it would become permanent.
The turnaround since then, lead by Kepa's performances with the gloves and also with the ball at his feet, has been something that nobody predicted. In 2019 Gary Neville made his feelings extremely clear, tweeting: "Nothing personal but I just couldn't accept a keeper like Kepa. He would make every defence a nervous wreck."
That was then made worse one year later as Kepa's position at Chelsea became untenable. After allowing Leandro Trossard to score, ironically against Graham Potter's Brighton, Neville said: “This [goalkeeping issues] will cause a real problem. This was nothing [pointing out at Trossard’s goal]. It just went under his arm. It was not a great shot, not massive power. It was a really weak shot from outside the box.”
At the time Kepa had conceded the most goals of any keeper from outside the area, with 19 in just over two years at the time. Neville summed up the predicament, adding, “That is a sorry story for a £70m goalkeeper."
As the 2020/21 season continued badly for Chelsea, Kepa was at fault as Liverpool beat Frank Lampard's side 2-0 and Neville pulled no punches, saying, "Kepa, well, we know his fate. There’s no point deliberating it any further.
“I thought Kepa got away with it with the red card. He should not have been out there. Mane would have gone around him and scored. It’s a real problem if you’ve got a goalkeeper making errors. The anxiety it creates in the team is really bad.”
The pundit may now be forced to eat his words though as Kepa goes through an early transformation under Potter. Speaking after denying Ivan Toney with another brilliant save, he said, "I am playing with confidence, with the ball and without it. In good positions, I feel good and I am helping the team. I am happy to be like this.
"Every player needs this confidence, this push, and for a goalkeeper, it's important when you have continuity and play matches in a row. When you are not playing, the distance and crosses, there are a lot to consider. Training is not the same. I am playing well and with confidence."
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