Crouch SLAMS Kepa after his error in Chelsea's loss to Fulham

‘It’s a MASSIVE error’: Peter Crouch slams Kepa after the Chelsea goalkeeper’s blunder allowed Carlos Vincius to head home Fulham’s winner in 2-1 west London derby victory

  • Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by Fulham in their Premier League clash on Thursday
  •  Kepa found himself caught in an awkward position as the winner was scored 
  • Peter Crouch accused him of making a ‘massive error’ as the ball flew past him
  • Blues boss Graham Potter admitted it was a ‘frustrating’ goal to concede 

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa has been heavily criticised for the role he played in Fulham’s second goal on Thursday night.

The Blues endured a torrid evening on Thursday that saw them lose 2-1 while their star debutant Joao Felix pick up a red card and three match ban.

While Chelsea produced some moments of quality, Fulham’s second goal was a low point, as Kepa was caught in no-man’s land while defending a free header from Carlos Vinicius after a superb cross from Andreas Pereira.

Chelsea lost 2-1 in their Premier League clash with Fulham on Thursday evening

Blues keeper Kepa found himself caught in an awkward position as the winner was scored

Chelsea have now won just once in their last eight games across all competitions

Rather than coming all the way out to claim the ball or staying on his line to save the header, the keeper hovered in between and was easily beaten. 

Peter Crouch was particularly damning on the mistake, as he told BT Sports: ‘It’s a massive error from Kepa. If he stays on his line its such a difficult header [for Vinicius, but he’s given him an open goal. Even if Kepa makes a decision to come out, you’ve got to come all the way.’

Fellow pundit Joe Cole also questioned why the forward’s marker, Trevor Chalobah, had allowed so much room, but agreed much of the blame lay with Kepa. 

Graham Potter admitted the second Fulham goal was a ‘frustrating’ one to concede

‘How on earth does Vinicius find himself in this area of the pitch with a free header at goal? The glaring error is Kepa. If he reads the flight of the ball, gets in goal, [Vinicius] cannot score. If he stays on his line it’s a hard header,’ he said.

The result makes it one win in eight games for Graham Potter’s men, and leaves them tenth in the Premier League.

Despite the loss, the manager was reluctant to talk about Kepa, as he  said after the game: ‘I never like to speak about individuals when we lose. I think the goal itself was a frustrating one from our perspective.

Peter Crouch accused Kepa of making a ‘massive error’ by giving Carlos Vinicius an easy goal

‘I didn’t think they were putting us under too much pressure, even though they had the extra man.

‘It felt like a bit of a soft goal to concede and that’s something we have to do better with.’

 Chelsea are next in action when they face Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.




Share this article

Source: Read Full Article