Chelsea star Mykhaylo Mudryk has sent Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier an X-rated message of support following his costly errors at Stamford Bridge. The full-back was at fault for the Blues’ late equaliser in the Carabao Cup quarter-final tie on Tuesday night, whilst almost missing his penalty in the shootout.
After Callum Wilson’s opener in the 16th minute, Newcastle looked on course to pile further misery onto Chelsea. The Blues struggled to create openings against the Magpies’ backline, though they were handed a lifeline with just moments to spare.
Following an overhit cross to the back post in the 92nd minute, Trippier attempted to head the ball back to his goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. However, the England international misjudged the power of his pass, providing Mudryk with the chance to pounce and slot his strike into the back of the net, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Chelsea then completed their comeback with a 4-2 win on penalties, with Trippier seeing his strike clip the post and ricochet wide – with Matt Ritchie’s strike then being saved by Djordje Petrovic. The defender was crest-fallen as his teammates attempted to console the ex-Tottenham star, with the errors made by the fullback adding up in recent weeks.
However, Mudryk still believes that Trippier is a top-class player, posting a picture of the two players just moments before his goal with the caption: “Kieran, I just wanna say to you, stay strong, sometimes s*** happens, but I think you are a strong footballer no matter what.”
Trippier has been a key part of Newcastle’s significant progress over the past few seasons, but his performances in recent weeks matched by the good form of Timo Livramento could push Eddie Howe to allow the former Burnley star to be rotated out of the starting XI.
