Daniel Sturridge shares Premier League concern after ‘horrible’ moment in Chelsea vs Arsenal
Chelsea hung on to snatch a valuable point as they drew 1-1 with Arsenal on Sunday evening.
Nathaniel Chalobah glanced home the opener for Chelsea from a corner shortly after the half-time interval, but the 10-man hosts ultimately couldn’t repel their visitors, who claimed a share of the points through Mikel Merino.
Chelsea triumphed over Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek, but that quickly became a distant memory as they were forced to battle their way to a draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca’s side put up a valiant fight against the league leaders, and they were ultimately unable to prevent Arsenal from extending the gap between the two teams.
Daniel Sturridge shares ‘re-reffing’ concern after Moises Caicedo red card
Moises Caicedo has caught the eye for Chelsea so far this season, but he did so for all the wrong reasons during Sunday’s clash.
The midfielder was sent off by referee Anthony Taylor in the 36th minute for a lunging tackle on Merino in the middle of the park.
The man in the middle initially showed a yellow card to Caicedo, only to then upgrade that decision to a straight red card after consulting the pitchside monitor.
Former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge discussed the decision during the half-time interval on Sky Sports, and he expressed his concern at the way that Premier League referees use slow-motion replays to determine decisions.
“The referee has a good view, and he gives him a yellow card to start. But then, when you see it slowed down, it looks nasty,” the 36-year-old said while analysing the incident.
“Initially, the referee makes that decision to give him a yellow card, and in doing that, he has then slightly re-reffed it and gone with the VAR help. If you look at it in real-time, it doesn’t look that bad of a tackle, but when you see it slowed down, it looks horrible.
“It is a red card when you see it slowed down, but that’s what VAR gives us. When you look at the challenge slowed down, it makes the referee’s mind up for him.”
Arsenal make Premier League club history vs Chelsea
Mikel Arteta opted to start Piero Hincapie again for Arsenal, and he was right at the centre of what was a feisty encounter from start to finish on Sunday.
The defender was one of five Gunners stars to end up in Taylor’s book during the game, with three of those five cautions coming inside the first half an hour.
That was the first time on record that Arsenal have ever received three yellow cards during the opening 30 minutes of a Premier League game, according to Opta Joe via their X account.
It was a fiery London derby at Stamford Bridge, and given the way the game began, it was no real surprise to see things boil over into a red card.
The result seriously strengthens Arsenal’s grip at the top of the table, but it could easily have been very different for the Blues.