Sarri has been undermined, says Gullit

Ruud Gullit is sceptical about the explanation given for an extraordinary incident involving Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga during the Carabao Cup final.

Chelsea lost on penalties to Manchester City at Wembley, where Blues boss Maurizio Sarri tried to take Kepa off near the end of extra time and replace him with Willy Caballero but the Spaniard refused to leave the pitch.

Both men later insisted the incident was “a misunderstanding” and that Sarri had wrongly believed that Kepa was injured.

However, speaking on the BBC’s Match of the Day programme, former Chelsea player and manager Gullit described that as “just a political answer for the newspapers.”

The Dutchman added: “Everybody knows what happened. The way he (Sarri) reacted on the touchline said everything. It’s undermined him and his authority.”

Kepa has insisted his intention was never to undermine Sarri.

“First of all, I have to say it was misunderstood,” Kepa told Chelsea’s website.

“In no moment was it my intention to disobey, or anything like that with the boss. Just that it was misunderstood, because I had been attended to by the medics twice, and he thought that I wasn’t in condition to continue.

“It was two or three minutes of confusion until the medics got to the bench, and they explained everything well.

“It was misunderstood. Because he thought I couldn’t continue, and – fundamentally – I was trying to say that physically I was fine.

“I know if you see it from outside, I don’t know how it went out, it is not the best image. I have spoken with the boss. I think it was misunderstood.

“I understand that on television, on social media, they’re talking about this but I am here to explain it, to say that it wasn’t my intention to go against the manager.

“We have spoken now, and I was only trying to say I’m fine. He thought I wasn’t fine.”