Chelsea vs Tottenham: Maurizio Sarri reveals he spoke to Chelsea hierarchy three times after Kepa Arrizabalaga incident

Chelsea produced a defiant display to reinforce the manager's reign

Maurizio Sarri revealed he had spoken to the Chelsea hierarchy “two or three times” this week about his future before his squad’s defiant 2-0 victory over Spurs at Stamford Bridge.

Sarri’s rule over the dressing room was scrutinised after Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted at the end of the Chelsea’s Carabao Cup defeat last weekend, but the Chelsea manager insisted his decision to drop the goalkeeper had an impact on his players’ performance.

With Willy Caballero starting ahead of the rebel Spaniard, Sarri’s squad produced a resounding display in a scrappy game to grind out the win thanks to goals from Pedro and Kieran Trippier's horrific blunder.

“It depends more on you than the club,” Sarri said of the scrutiny over his future at Chelsea.

“I spoke to the club two or three times in the last days, but the problem wasn’t so big as you wrote. I don’t know: maybe it wasn’t the truth, I don’t know. But it’s not a big problem for me. In this job, you are under pressure every week. If you’re lucky, every six months.

“It’s normal if you lose two or three matches in a row that you’ll be under pressure, but that’s the same for every coach. Maybe more pressure at Chelsea.”

Sarri also refused to claim that his decision to drop Kepa had united the squad and insisted the 23-year-old remains his first-choice goalkeeper, even if he doesn’t return to the first team to face Fulham on Sunday.

“No. I don’t think so,” he said of the decision’s influence on the game’s outcome.

“The performance in this match was really very good, but it was a performance in line with the last one. Fortunately, the result was different. But the kind of performance was similar, I think.

“I think it was the right decision. Kepa made a big mistake. He paid with the club. Then he had to pay with the team. But now I think we have to stop. Kepa, from tomorrow, will be with us.”