Over the course of a season, we aren't often treated to a penalty shoot-out where the final tally reads 11-10. However, Liverpool and Chelsea served up a collective masterclass in how to take a spot-kick during Sunday's Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Such was the uniqueness of the occasion that the shoot-out-related drama actually began while the game was still in the final few minutes of extra-time, with the game still tied at 0-0.

Realising that penalties were almost inevitable after the two sides couldn't be split after almost 120 minutes of action, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel made the controversial call to replace starting goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with his understudy Kepa Arrizabalaga for the shoot-out.

This wasn't new territory for Tuchel, as he had made the same move back in August in the UEFA Super Cup - when the Blues' ultimately defeated Villarreal 6-5 on penalties. On that occasion, Kepa crucially managed to save two spot-kicks.

The 27-year-old Spaniard had no such fortune on Sunday, though, barely getting near any of Liverpool's 11 penalties.

Worse still for Arrizabalaga, he ended up being the first (and only) player to miss a spot-kick, handing Liverpool the League Cup trophy for a record-setting ninth time in their history.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: Kepa Arrizabalaga replaces Edouard Mendy of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Final match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 27, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

After the match, there was plenty of discussion surrounding Tuchel's decision to ditch Mendy - who had enjoyed a fine game up until that point - for Kepa, who failed to save a single Reds penalty in the shoot-out.

READ MORE: Liverpool vs Chelsea: Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp's heated debate about Kepa tactic

While Tuchel certainly had his critics after the move, football psychology expert Geir Jordet has backed the Chelsea boss over the switch.

In a Twitter thread breaking down the facts, figures and behaviours behind the shoot-out, Jordet pointed out that the change of shot-stoppers was statistically the correct call.

The numbers showed that Kepa was more likely to save a penalty than Mendy

"Tuchel's decision to substitute goalkeeper was fair," confirmed Jordet. "They [Chelsea] have successfully done so before (with Kepa). Kepa has featured in their last three shootout wins and his record is superior to Mendy (on Kepa penalty takers score 71%, on Mendy 94%).

Both teams beat the odds in sudden death

Elsewhere, Jordet pointed out that once a shoot-out heads into sudden-death, the conversation rate on spot-kicks drops to a lowly 60%.

Although Chelsea eventually fell to defeat, they found the net a creditable six times during the period, before Arrizabalaga failed with his decisive effort.

A bold celebration increases the changes of going on to lift the trophy

The shootout took place in front of Liverpool's supporters. Jordet suggests that the Merseysiders used this to "derive positive energy" and push on to victory.

A total of five Liverpool players "intensely" celebrated their successes with fans being the goal. As you might expect, none of the Chelsea scorers did the same.

Overall, research shows that teams who allow themselves to enjoy the moment after converting a spot-kick are more likely to take the spoils at the end of the shoot-out.

Both goalkeepers struggled to read their opponents

Across 21 successfully converted penalties, the goalkeeper involved only moved in the correct direction on six occasions (three for Liverpool's Caoimhín Kelleher and three for Kepa).

Combined with the fact that they either guessed wrong or went too early on eight occasions, it wasn't a great day to be a shot-stopper.

Little effort made to phase penalty takers

While Kelleher played it straight in the Liverpool goal, Chelsea's Arrizabalaga gave bits and pieces of trickery a go to try and throw off his opponents.

Hand gestures. Taking his time getting into position. Adopting a skewed stance for Virgil van Dijk's effort. Kepa tried each of them, but with no success.

Overall, Jordet concluded that both shot-stoppers were far too predictable in their approach, leading to such a high number of converted spot-kicks.

Kepa's skied effort was the fastest penalty taken all afternoon

Credit must be given to all of the 21 players who found the net with their penalties prior to Arrizabalaga's crucial miss.

The composure on display was certainly impressive given the occasion.

On average, the 22 penalty takers allowed themselves 2.6 seconds to take their shot at goal. In comparison, Kepa ballooned his effort into the jubilant Liverpool supporters behind the goal in a mere 0.4 seconds.

Statistically, the faster a penalty is taken, the more likely it is to be missed - and so it proved on Sunday afternoon.

Reaction after Kepa's miss shows the close-knit nature of the Chelsea dressing room

Tuchel's Kepa experiment did not yield results. That said, Jordet did reflect positively on how quick the Chelsea squad were to rally around their devastated colleague following his miss.

He heralded it as "a good sign for the group and their future performances".

It remains to be seen if Tuchel will take the same gamble again the next time his side face a shoot-out.

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Liverpool win Carabao Cup! (Reaction via The Football Terrace)