Chelsea got crucial three points on Sunday when they defeated Crystal Palace in the Premier League. However, it was a narrow 1-0 win over their London rivals, Chelsea’s first after four games in all competitions. The Crystal Palace fan threw a bottle at the Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the dying moments for his time-wasting antics.
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Kepa made some crucial saves during the game to give Chelsea all three points. However, he left the Palace fans fuming with his volleyball techniques at the end. It was not the only incident this weekend. Tottenham Hotspur fan kicked the Arsenal goalkeeper after the Gunners beat them.
Kepa Arrizabalaga shows his volleyball skills fuming rival fans
The video surfacing over social media shows Kepa trying to waste time when Chelsea had the lead. He was at the away end of Stamford Bridge when he decided to show his volleyball skills to waste time. Palace fans threw the ball at him to restart the game quickly, but he hit it back 2-3 times into the fans.
Kepa is too jokes man 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/z6vrAqDuRA
— . (@PuliTheStringss) January 15, 2023
His actions angered the Palace fans, and one of them threw a water bottle toward the Chelsea goalkeeper. However, the bottle didn’t hit the player and landed on the goal roof. Fans then threw the ball toward the Palace player, who insisted Kepa restart the game.
Big effort and important win!
Great atmosphere at the Bridge.
Thank you for all your support, let’s go! 💙 @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/MuinUB7Bs7
— Kepa Arrizabalaga (@kepa_46) January 15, 2023
Kepa came into the game on the back of error-prone performances but made some crucial saves to keep Chelsea in the game. His 86th-minute acrobatic save was outstanding, as the Palace player’s volley from outside the box was goalbound. He was up to the task in the dying moments of the first half when he pushed the header from the corner away. The performance will boost the confidence of the player, with Eduardo Mendy still sidelined with the injury.
Chelsea with an important win ahead of the Liverpool game
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Chelsea is currently 10th in the Premier League and will visit Anfield next week to take on 9th-placed Liverpool. Both the clubs are tied on 28 points, ten points away from the top four. Liverpool lost their previous two games and will look for the win against Chelsea at home.
It won’t be an easy fixture for the Londoners, who are on a goal-scoring drought. Chelsea will look for some inspiration from their new signing Mykhailo Mudryk. Londoners haven’t got to a good start under new manager Graham Potter. Pressure is mounting on Potter from the fans to get a result, and a win against Palace can be a timely booster.
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It will be interesting to see how two struggling teams, Chelsea and Liverpool, play against each other. Let us know your thoughts on the game and the antics of Kepa Arrizabalaga to waste time.