Thomas Tuchel has claimed that Kepa Arrizabalaga is already over his Carabao Cup final penalty miss against Liverpool.
The Chelsea head coach opted to bring on Arrizabalaga in place of Edouard Mendy before the shoot-out against Jurgen Klopp's side at Wembley on Sunday.
After over 120 minutes of end-to-end action, the showdown was decided by penalties after the game ended goalless.
READ MORE: Chelsea have £460m problem that Luis Diaz and Liverpool have exposed
READ MORE: LeBron James tipped to front major £2bn next move for FSG
Both Liverpool and Chelsea’s players were impressive from the spot, as the first 20 penalties taken were all converted.
That meant that it fell to both goalkeepers to keep the game alive.
Caoimhin Kelleher coolly dispatched his spot kick before Arrizabalaga blazed over to hand Liverpool victory.
But despite the miss, Tuchel has given his full backing to Arrizabalaga, and claimed that the Spaniard has already moved on from the disappointment.
“He brought us to Wembley,” the German said. “We needed already two penalty shoot-outs [against Southampton and Aston Villa] and he saved the penalties that were decisive for us.”
Before he continued: “I think to blame a goalkeeper for missing would be like blaming a player from the field for not saving a penalty. It is simply not his job.
“I found him very focused today in training, relaxed in a way. After a day off, I found him well prepared in training.”
