Ex-refs chief baffled as Wolves star avoids ‘malicious’ red card vs Chelsea: ‘Where’s VAR?’
Rob Edwards should have seen his Wolves side go down to 10 men after a moment of serious foul play against Chelsea on Saturday.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Jarred Gillett missed a key incident as Cole Palmer sealed all three points on 7 February.
Amongst Palmer’s hat-trick and Tolo Arokodare’s consolation goal, there were plenty of contentious moments at Molineux Stadium, not least of all Yerson Mosquera bundling Joao Pedro over in the box.
This was only after Matt Doherty had already conceded an early penalty, allowing Liam Rosenior‘s side to take a three-goal lead inside the first 38 minutes.
Wolves’ relegation could be all but sealed after Chelsea loss
Despite the incident being labelled “soft” by many, Gillett was hailed for punishing Mosquera, an incident which left the referee with no other choice but to point to the spot for the second time.
It was not all doom and gloom for the relegation-threatened side, with Angel Gomes starring on his Wolves debut, but there was nothing to put a dent in their 18-point gap from safety.
Relegation to the Championship seems inevitable for the Old Gold now, and it could be all but sealed should Edwards’ side lose their grudge match against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, 11 February.
Matters could have gotten even worse for Wolves, with supporters spotting Jose Sa lashing out at Pedro just moments into the second half, using his high claim to land studs on the stomach of the Chelsea attacker.
Jose Sa deserved to be sent off after studs-up on Joao Pedro
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “If the referee and VAR see that, the goalkeeper has endangered the safety of his opponent. What is his leg there for? That’s not natural.
“In that situation, the goalkeeper should have a bent leg. I’m surprised that this wasn’t referred to by VAR, and didn’t result in a dismissal. It’s an act of serious foul play.
“At a minimum, it’s reckless. But for me, he’s fortunate not to receive a red card, going studs-up into the stomach area of his opponent. There’s force behind it. It’s malicious.
“Where’s the referee? And where’s VAR? This is where managers express concern over players’ understanding of the game. He knows exactly what he’s done.”