Eddie Howe releases Kieran Trippier message and reacts to cup heartbreak at Chelsea

Eddie Howe has issued a strong message of support to Kieran Trippier after his late mistake and missed penalty in last night's heartbreaking defeat to Chelsea.

We were two minutes away from the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, but a 92nd-minute error from Trippier let the Blues back into it before he and Matt Ritchie failed to convert in the shootout.

Speaking after the game, Howe had this message for our vice-captain, who looked visibly devastated after the match:

“He has taken the group to a different level. After giving us so much, it’s now our turn to support Kieran.

"I'm sure he doesn't feel fantastic because he prides himself on his technical excellence & the quality of his defensive work.

“He's been a transformative signing for us and has glued the dressing room together. He's been the heartbeat of our performances”.

Trippier has been arguably our most consistent player since the takeover, but he's undoubtedly going through a rough patch and needs all of our support. While I don't like to speculate, it makes you wonder what he's going through off the pitch after withdrawing from the previous England squad due to 'personal reasons' last month.

Howe then had this to say when speaking to Sky Sports after the match, explaining our approach to the second half and devastation in defeat after defending so well all game:

"It hurts a lot. A very similar feeling to the one after Paris. The lads have given so much, lead for so long and defended really, really well, but didn't quite get over the line.

"We probably weren't as good technically as we wanted to be in that second half to bring our counter-attacking play into the game, as it was in the first half. We lost our threat but we defended really well. I think we accepted our role in the game that we were going to defend and frustrate them and we were a couple of minutes away.  

"As a team, we were excellent defensively. It was a heroic effort and we had to make more changes in running, again due to injuries. I can't praise the players enough. Penalty shootouts are always a lottery and we didn't quite get it right." 

"It's a very, very painful moment for us, especially off the back of the previous one (vs Milan). We have to accept it and digest it very quickly, as we have Luton on Saturday and must focus on our Premier League form."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbjOiPI37nA&ab_channel=KORA.STAR.ANALYSIS