Despite being reduced to ten men after Moises Caicedo’s dismissal, the Blues coped well in the second half and went ahead in the 48th minute. ..Continue Reading
Chalobah’s header at the near post, which arced over the helpless David Raya and slipped past Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie positioned near the goalline, initially seemed free of controversy.
On further review, though, it became clear that Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position when the Chelsea defender met Reece James’ beautifully delivered corner.
The midfielder’s presence could have been interpreted as interfering with play by distracting opponents and hindering their attempts to clear the danger.
The BBC reported, however, that VAR examined the incident and concluded that Fernandez, though tracking the ball’s path and standing close to Mosquera, did not provide enough interference to justify disallowing the goal.
Chelsea’s opener was just one of several contentious incidents in what was a fiery London derby.
According to the rules set by IFAB (International Football Association Board), the sport’s governing body, a player may be considered offside if they:
Few objected to the upgrade of Anthony Taylor’s initial yellow card to a red for Caicedo’s challenge on Mikel Merino, but Chelsea were frustrated that Hincapie was not also sent off shortly thereafter.
During an aerial contest with Chalobah, the Ecuadorian defender made contact with the Chelsea player’s cheek, leaving him with visible swelling.
Enzo Maresca was asked about post-match comments made by his captain Reece James, who argued that Hincapie should have received a red card for the incident.
Maresca responded: ‘I think Reece is right. But they (officials) decide. I just said there, he asked me about Moises’ red card. It’s a red card, but why was Bentancur’s against Reece not a red card when we were at Spurs away? So us, as a manager, we struggle to understand why they judge in a different way.
‘Moises’ is a red card, yes. Bentancur’s is a red card, yes. Why don’t they give him a red card? It’s just that we struggle to understand. The reality is that it’s a red card. But why do they judge it differently?
‘And the Trevoh one, I asked the referee, he said to me that it was not an elbow. So, this is what they said. (He had a) black eye, with ice at half-time. But they judge in different way.’
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher, however, insisted that a yellow card was the appropriate sanction and that the injury to Chalobah should not influence the referee’s judgement.
He explained: ‘I think this is a yellow card. You have to be careful not to be seduced by looking at [Chalobah’s] cheek. You have to judge the challenge.
‘Hincapie has leapt and used his arm as leverage, he hasn’t swung his elbow or used it as a weapon.
‘It is a flailing arm and an unfortunate injury, but it is a reckless challenge, not a challenge where he has gone in to hurt him.’
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