Chelsea had to continue their fight with a big deficit after Moises Caicedo was shown a red card in the first half of a very important match against Arsenal. Chelsea coach Enzo Maresco has no question about the midfielder being sent off. However, his complaint is about the style and consistency of referees’ decisions in the Premier League.
Ecuadorian midfielder Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute of the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge on Sunday for a bad foul on Mikel Merino. Although the referee initially showed a yellow card, he later showed a straight red card after watching the replay on the monitor.
Despite being reduced to a team of 10 men, Chelsea’s attacking edge did not decrease much. On the contrary, they took the lead early in the second half with a goal from Trevo Xalaba. Later, Arsenal equalized with a goal from Merino. In the end, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
When Caicedo was mentioned in the post-match press conference, Maresca said he deserved the red card. However, he believes Piero Incapie should have been sent off for elbowing Shalaba in the face. When both players jumped in possession of the ball, Incapie’s elbow hit Shalaba in the face. Chelsea players demanded a penalty, but the referee did not respond.
Not only that, Maresca also mentioned Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on November 1 to express his dissatisfaction with the refereeing in the Premier League. Rodrigo Bentancur was shown a yellow card for a foul on Reece James in that match at Tottenham.
Chelsea captain James claims that Incapie can consider himself lucky not to be sent off. Maresca also thinks so.
In my opinion, Rees is right, but…they asked me about Moye’s (Caicedo) red card, the decision on the red card was right. But why didn’t Bentancur get a red card for fouling Rees (in the Tottenham match)?”
“Coaches like us have trouble understanding it, why they make decisions in different ways. Moye’s red card, yes. Bentancur’s red card, yes. So why wasn’t he given? That’s what we have trouble understanding.”
Maresca also spoke to the referee after the match. He explained that.
“The reality is that it’s a red card. But why do they judge it differently? And the Trevor incident, I asked the referee about that too. He told me it wasn’t an elbow. He (Shalaba) had a bruise under his eye, they put ice on him during the break, but they judge it differently.”
The eventful match resulted in a draw, leaving the gap between the two teams in the points table as before.
Arsenal are at the top with 30 points after 13 matches. Manchester City are in second place with 25 points.
Chelsea are in third place with 24 points.
