Chelsea vs Benfica ref watch: Three decisions Daniel Siebert got wrong
Chelsea emerged 1-0 victors over Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the Champions League as Joao Pedro was sent off late on to continue their poor disciplinary record.
Benfica tested Robert Sanchez early on but soon found themselves behind as Richard Rios turned the ball into his own net after Alejandro Garnacho had played it across the face of goal from Pedro Neto’s cross.
Neither side were able to properly test their opposition goalkeepers thoughout the second period, but Benfica did fashion some decent openings with Frederik Aursnes going close twice.
Match referee Siebert did have to take action late on as Joao Pedro was sent off for a second yellow card after a high foot was raised in Leandro Barriero’s face, and the game eventually ended 1-0 to Chelsea.
Siebert tried to keep players on both sides in line throughout a hotly-contested clash, but he got a number of decisions wrong, and Football Insider have picked out three that should have gone a different way.
Enzo Fernandez lucky to stay on after numerous bookable offences
Enzo Fernandez is not particularly known for having an exemplary disciplinary record, and he was fortunate not to receive his marching orders against his former club at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine midfielder fouled Benfica’s Rios very cynically in the 33rd minute as the visitors prepared a counter-attack, but avoided a booking, before then being carded for dissent in first-half added-time after kicking the ball away as his opponents set up a free-kick.
Chelsea had Trevoh Chalobah and Robert Sanchez sent off in each of their last two league outings, and they were arguably very lucky not see another player given a red in this one, with referee Siebert telling Fernandez at half-time that he needed to be careful in the second period, according to TNT Sports.
Enzo Barrenechea should not have been booked
On the flip side to that, Fernandez’s namesake Enzo Barrenechea was seriously unlucky to be carded for Benfica just a minute after the Chelsea man’s first foul.
Barrenechea, who left Aston Villa to join Benfica on loan in the summer, had not committed a foul when he accidentally stepped on Facundo Buonanotte’s foot in the 34th minute, and it certainly seemed harsh to book him with the ball only just past the halfway line.
Jose Mourinho understandably took umbrage with the decision, especially as it was mere seconds after Fernandez’s foul, with his player walking a tightrope for the rest of the game in a hotly-contested clash.
Jose Mourinho deserved a booking for always being out of his technical area
Much was made of Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge return prior to the game, with this being his first time managing a foreign side away at Chelsea since 2010, and only second time ever in his career.
The tie was played with real intent from both teams, and passion from the pitch spilled over into the Portuguese manager’s own psyche as he was often found standing out of his technical area barking orders at his players.
At one point, Mourinho even walked close to the length of the touchline over to the away fans’ section to stop them hurling objects at former player Fernandez when he tried to take a corner.
UEFA rules state that a yellow card should be given for persistently failing to respect the confines of the technical area, which is definitely what he did, and so Siebert should have booked him before he eventually did in the dying embers for an unknown reason.