‘Stupid and dangerous’ – Ex-refs chief furious as Chelsea star ‘damages image of the game’ vs Man City
Chelsea were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men during their last-gasp draw against Man City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that one player “damages the image of the game” when making a reckless challenge on 4 January.
Chelsea were without Enzo Maresca, with Calum McFarlane in charge for the Blues’ trip to Manchester, but that did not stop them from handing a massive blow to City’s Premier League title aspirations.
Elsewhere this weekend, Arsenal narrowly beat Bournemouth to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points, with Pep Guardiola‘s side drawing for the second game in a row after an eight-game winning streak.
Liam Delap avoids a serious sanction vs Chelsea
The result could have been very different, however, after Enzo Fernandez scored an equaliser four minutes into added time, with Liam Delap and Abdukodir Khusanov clashing on the pitchside.
Delap has recently returned from injury, and with the intention of wanting to get one over his former club, he shoved Khusanov into the advertising boards, leaving the Uzbekistan international in pain.
With 10 minutes remaining of normal time, home supporters were crying out for the striker to be sent off. Having also gotten involved in the altercation, Matheus Nunes earned a yellow card for his role.
While Hackett was confident that a simple caution was the right decision from Michael Oliver, it was an ugly incident in an otherwise enthralling encounter, and one that put a dampener on proceedings.
Keith Hackett destroys Delap after ‘dangerous’ incident
Hackett, exclusively speaking to Football Insider on The Final Whistle, said: “It damages the image of the game. I don’t know if it’s about this time of year, with players being away from home, or games coming thick and fast, or some carrying injuries.
“Or even others just getting frustrated by how their team is playing… I think it’s important that the referee reacts but doesn’t overreact. On some occasions, you can get in there and have a quiet word.
“On this occasion, I think a yellow card is okay. I don’t think it breached the sanction limit for a red, but it’s stupid and dangerous.”