Victory at Wembley might have bought Sarri time, particularly coming so soon after a 6-0 humbling by the same opponents in the Premier League. Sarri, Kepa and David Luiz, the closest player to Kepa throughout the incident, were "on message" after the match at Wembley, all insisting it was a misunderstanding, not insubordination. Late on Monday Sarri said that Kepa had apologised and that the Italian now considered the matter closed. But the incident suggested there could be a leadership vacuum at Stamford Bridge. Sarri replaced Antonio Conte in July and got off to a flying start, with Chelsea unbeaten for the first 18 competitive games.

Source: Daily Nation February 26, 2019 03:56 UTC