Keith Hackett hails Reece James, Levi Colwill over Chelsea incident v Aston Villa
Reece James has been praised by Keith Hackett along with Chelsea teammate Levi Colwill for their actions during a heated incident in their defeat to Aston Villa.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that Moises Caicedo could easily have been sent off during the game were it not for the defensive duo.
It was a frustrating evening for the Blues at Villa Park on Saturday (22 February) as they threw away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Unai Emery’s side.
That came after goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen spilled a Marco Asensio shot from a corner in the final minute leading to many Chelsea fans calling for him to be dropped.
Things though could have been even worse for Maresca’s side as a result of that set-piece, had it not been for the actions of James and Colwill.
Moises Caicedo saved from second yellow card by Chelsea teammates
In the lead-up to the corner from which Villa would score the winner, Caicedo became embroiled in a jostling match with opposition midfielder John McGinn inside his own six-yeard box.
That led to referee Michael Oliver delaying the set-piece being taken, in order to book the Chelsea midfielder.
| Chelsea last five games | Result |
| Man City (A) | Lost 3-1 |
| West Ham (H) | Won 2-1 |
| Brighton (A) | Lost 2-1 |
| Brighton (A) | Lost 3-0 |
| Aston Villa (A) | Lost 2-1 |
Caicedo reacted angrily to that yellow card, and attempted to confront Oliver as he walked away, only for James and Colwill to step in and push him away before he could do so.
Hackett has now suggested that by doing so, the pair prevented their teammate from picking up a second yellow card in quick succession.
Keith Hackett hails Reece James and Levi Colwill over Moises Caicedo booking
Speaking to Football Insider about whether Caicedo could have been shown a second yellow if not for the actions of his Chelsea teammates, the former referee said:
“I think that these players need to be complimented because they’ve kept this player (Caicedo) on.
“Having had a yellow card and you get an overreaction, the referee can comfortably issue a second yellow, no question...
“So I think the players have done well to take him out of the heat of the situation, well done to them.”
Even so that latest defeat will be frustrating for Chelsea after some signs of improvement in performance.
As the wait for results continues though, the pressure may continue to build on the plans of Chelsea’s board to continue to back Enzo Maresca.