Qarabag vs Chelsea ref watch: Three decisions Sebastian Gishamer got horribly wrong
Enzo Maresca will be furious with his players after Chelsea embarrassed themselves against Qarabag in the Champions League.
Romeo Lavia was substituted early due to injury, much to the frustration of the player and the travelling fans, but Estevao was on hand to open the scoring on Wednesday, 5 November.
Despite a positive start to the game in Azerbaijan, Jorrel Hato was completely found out by the opposition, allowing Leandro Andrede to score before conceding a controversial penalty.
Alejandro Garnacho netted an all-important equaliser, but it was not enough to inspire a comeback victory. After a four-goal thriller, however, there was a huge focus on the referee’s decisions.
Jorrel Hato penalised for a harsh handball vs Qarabag
With a decision that saw Qarabag take an unexpected lead in Azerbaijan, Hato was punished extremely harshly for a handball in the 39th minute, adding to an already horrendous display.
There was almost no time for the defender to react, with the ball being rifled against him from very short range, plus his arm was tucked in close to his body. It was a natural movement.
Nonetheless, the referee was adamant that a penalty should be awarded, and the decision stood, allowing Marko Jankovic to slot home past Robert Sanchez.
Reece James avoids a VAR review after a challenge inside the penalty area
Early in the first half, Reece James might have been lucky to avoid conceding a penalty, at least before Hato was punished for handball on the 29-minute mark by the referee.
While a spot-kick might have been harsh against the England international, it was a surprise not to see Gishamer going over to the pitch-side monitor to take another look.
There was clearly contact before James allowed the ball to run out for a Chelsea goal kick, but very little was made about the incident by Qarabag’s staff. So, maybe it was a whole lot of nothing.
Foul on Estevao ignored as player maul emerges
Before James and Matheus Silva saw their names being written into the referee’s notebook, all thanks to the Chelsea man hauling Kevin Medina down in the middle of the park.
It should have been a free-kick to the Blues on the edge of Qarabag’s penalty area, but instead, the referee had to calm a large group of players down after allowing play to continue.
Estevao got up pretty quickly, but that does not mean that the Brazilian was not challenged.