Kepa Arrizabalaga redeemed himself in the eyes of the Blues faithful after saving two penalties against Villarreal in the shootout. Chelsea, as a result, won the cup for the second time in their history.
Chelsea started brightly on the night, pinning Villarreal in their own half as they looked for an early breakthrough. Timo Werner derived a sensational save from Villarreal goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo in the opening minutes of the game, who reacted superbly to deflect a close-range toe-poke from the German away to safety.
Chelsea’s breakthrough arrived in the 27th minute after Marcos Alonso set Havertz free down the right. The forward’s cross into the box was converted by Hakim Ziyech, which would be the Moroccan’s only telling contribution before an injury forced him to leave the pitch.
Villarreal ended the first half on top and began the second half on the front foot. The Spanish outfit tested Edouard Mendy on a few occasions and hit the crossbar and the post either side of the break. Unai Emery’s team finally found the leveller in the 73rd minute through talisman Gerard Moreno, who latched on to a backheel flick by Boulaye Dia to beat Mendy from close range.
Ninety minutes of regular time followed by thirty minutes of extra time could not separate the two sides. With the penalty shootout looming, Tuchel sent Arrizabalaga in to replace Mendy. Arrizabalaga made two saves in the shootout, including the crucial one from Raul Albiol, helping Chelsea win the Super Cup 6-5 on penalties.
