Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has questioned the consistency of Premier League officiating after Moisés Caicedo’s red card against Arsenal brought to mind a similar incident his team faced earlier this season.
The Blues delivered an impressive performance in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal and could have secured all three points were it not for the first-half dismissal of the Ecuadorian. Caicedo received a deserved red card for a tackle on Mikel Merino’s ankle.
While Maresca had no issue with the decision to send off Caicedo, he questioned how officials could deem that challenge a red card offense, but not a similar one by Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur. The Spurs player escaped punishment from VAR after a challenge on Blues captain Reece James a month ago during Chelsea’s 1-0 victory.
“I was just asked about Moisés’ red card. It’s a red card, but why wasn’t Bentancur’s on Reece a red when we played Spurs away? For us as managers, it’s difficult to understand why they judge things differently,” Maresca argued. “Moisés’ is a red card, yes. Bentancur’s is a red card, yes. Why wasn’t he sent off? We just struggle to understand it. The reality is that it’s a red card. But why do they judge it differently?”
Piero Hincapié Fortunate to Avoid Red Card
Early in the second half, Chelsea was further frustrated by referee Anthony Taylor’s decision not to send off Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié. The defender, already on a yellow card, caught Blues defender Trevoh Chalobah in the face.
While Hincapié’s elbow did not appear intentional, it left Chalobah with a black eye and visible swelling. Maresca expressed his disappointment that the Ecuadorian international did not receive at least a second yellow card for the incident.
“I asked the referee and he told me it wasn’t an elbow. That’s what they said,” Maresca stated. “Chalobah had a black eye, with ice on it at halftime. But they judge it differently.”
James: “Chelsea Could Have Beaten Arsenal”
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Chelsea remained strong throughout the match. Chalobah’s opening goal gave the Blues a deserved lead, which was later canceled out by a header from Merino. However, Maresca’s side registered more shots on target and looked as likely to secure a victory as their league-leading opponents.
“I’m proud. The team is very young, but we stood up to the team that is leading the Premier League at the moment,” James told the club’s media. “We showed no fear and tried to win the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage it, but there were many positives to take. We knew it was going to be tough, but honestly, it was a game we felt we probably could have won. It was hard to take just one point considering how well we played.”
The captain added: “We played for 60 minutes with 10 men and had to deal with all their players; they are a very good team, currently top of the league. We were evenly matched with them, so there are many good things for us to learn from. We started well and had some chances early in the half, but the game became complicated when we went down to 10 men. We still felt we had the players and the quality to hurt them on the ball. We did the best we could, and now we have to take the point and move on.”
