(Football news) There was late drama at the Windsor Park in Belfast as Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga emerged as an unlikely hero for the Blues when the London based side won the UEFA Super Cup after winning 6-5 on penalties. Arrizabalaga was introduced as a late substitute in extra-time by manager Thomas Tuchel for Edouard Mendy, and the Spaniard repaid the managers faith by saving the penalties of Aissa Mandi and Raul Albiol.

Having previously won the Champions League against rivals Manchester City in Porto, Chelsea have enjoyed a meteoric high under Thomas Tuchel’s first five months in charge. The German is expected to bolster his firepower with the inclusion of Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for a club record fee of 97 million pounds. First team starters such as Mason Mount, Jorginho, Ben Chilwell and Reece James had to settle for a place on the bench against the Yellow Submarine in the UEFA Super Cup, having returned to pre-season training late.

Hakim Ziyech opened the scoring for the Blues when Kai Havertz’s low cross helped the Moroccan find the back of the net. However, Ziyech was then forced off before the end of the first half in a sling due to a shoulder injury. Despite a positive start by Chelsea, it was Villarreal that looked more threatening in the second half and were rewarded with an equalizer when Moreno scored past Mendy after a one-two with Dia.

Both the managers were unhappy about having to play through extra time with the domestic campaigns just around the corner and a dramatic penalty shootout started with Sergio Asenjo saving Havertz’s penalty, but Chelsea proved to be clinical in their next six spot kicks to lift their second UEFA Super Cup in history.

Also read: Chelsea Vs Villareal: UEFA Super Cup final – Preview and Predictions