- Arsenal will be punished heavily by the FA following the fiery London derby between them and Chelsea
- The two sides settled for a point a piece, but it was a game that threatened to go off the rails, with many tackles
- Moises Caicedo was sent off for a challenge on Mikel Merino, but it is Arsenal that will be in the FA’s crosshairs
Arsenal are set to receive a heavy fine from the Football Association (FA) after the feisty draw against Chelsea on Sunday evening.
Source: UGC
The league leaders came from behind to hold a 10-man Chelsea to a one-all stalemate at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were reduced to 10 men in the 38th minute after Moises Caicedo was sent off for serious foul play on Mikel Merino.
It wasn’t the only card referee Anthony Taylor gave out as he was kept busy the entire game. Apart from the red card, Taylor handed out a total of seven yellow cards in West London as he struggled to keep emotions in check.
Why Arsenal will be fined after Chelsea game
Arsenal received six of the seven cards issued, which is now set to attract a huge fine. As the London Standard Evening reports, any club that gets six or more yellow cards in a single game is always fined £25,000 (KSh 4.2 million).
The Gunners received three yellow cards inside the first 30 minutes. Martin Zubimendi was penalised for bringing down Reece James before Christhian Mosquera received his for stopping Joao Pedro.
James, who was a menace the whole evening, forced another yellow card for Riccardo Calafiori. Piero Hincapie was lucky to avoid a red card on the stroke of halftime for elbowing Trevoh Chalobah, with the Ecuadorian only getting a booking.
Source: UGC
Myles Lewis-Skelly was also booked in the 54th minute. Viktor Gyokeres made his return from injury and received his yellow card in the 88th minute after a dangerous tackle on Robert Sanchez.
The Gunners were fined in February last year during their game against Liverpool, which they won 3-1, but had six players booked.
Chelsea have also been on the receiving end of this rule during their game against Bournemouth last season, where Taylor dished out a record 14 yellow cards in the game.
Speaking after the game, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta described it as a proper London derby.
“I think it was a proper London derby. It was really tense, and you could sense from the beginning that every duel, every action, has something on it. Two teams are very willing to win, and not much football. A lot of stops, free-kicks, yellow cards, so not a lot of fluidity,” he said via the club’s website.
How many games will Caicedo miss?
Meanwhile, the Premier League has released a statement explaining Caicedo’s red card.
Taylor changed his initial yellow card decision after a VAR review.
The Chelsea midfielder is now set to be out for three matches following his serious foul play on Merino.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
