Kepa Arrizabalaga has now made two errors in the space of a week (Reuters)
Graham Potter refused to blame Kepa Arrizabalaga for his error in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Thursday.
Chelsea have now lost six out of their last eight games under Potter and the defeat at Craven Cottage has left them 10th in the Premier League and 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United who have played one game less.
Former Chelsea winger Willian put Fulham in front in the first half before Kalidou Koulibaly pulled Chelsea level shortly after the break.
Joao Felix, making his debut after finalising his £9 million loan move from Atletico Madrid this week, was then sent off in the 58th minute, while Carlos Vinicius headed Fulham’s winner in the 73rd minute.
Kepa, whose mistake cost Chelsea in their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge last week, made another error of judgement as he initially went to claim Andreas Pereira’s cross but hesitated and was then caught in no man’s land as Vinicius headed the ball into an empty goal.
When asked directly about Kepa’s involvement in Fulham’s winning goal, Potter said: ‘I never like to speak about individuals when we lose.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was caught out of position as Carlos Vinicius headed Fulham’s winner against Chelsea (Getty)
‘I think the goal itself was a frustrating one from our perspective.
‘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.’
More: Sport
In a separate interview with Chelsea TV, Potter said of Fulham’s winning goal: ‘I don’t think they created too much, the manner of the goal is really disappointing and really frustrating.
‘But I thought the players kept going, it’s not easy with 10 but they tried, had some opportunities, but in the end it’s really disappointing for us.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Spaniard was at fault once again as Chelsea fell to another defeat.
