- Arsenal star Piero Hincapie was lucky to avoid a red card during their game against Chelsea
- Hincapie elbowed Trevoh Chalobah shortly after Moises Caicedo had been sent off for Chelsea
- The Blues stuck to their guns, digging deep to earn a point against the rampant league leaders
Former head of Premier League referees, Keith Hackett, has explained why Arsenal star Piero Hincapie wasn’t sent off against Chelsea.
Source: UGC
Chelsea’s game against Arsenal was marked by feisty incidents as both teams came away with a single point apiece in the Premier League title race.
Mikel Merino cancelled out Trevoh Chalobah’s opener as Chelsea dug deep to hold Arsenal despite a man disadvantage.
The Blues had Moises Caicedo sent off for a dangerous tackle on Merino. Anthony Taylor had earlier given him a yellow card, but under the advice of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), upgraded the decision to a red card.
Fans have, however, questioned whether Arsenal should have had a red card of their own after Hincapie’s challenge on Chalobah.
Shortly after Caicedo had received his marching orders, Hincapie went up to challenge for the ball with Chalobah. The Ecuadorian left his elbow on Chalobah’s face.
The crowd at Stamford Bridge called for a red card, but Anthony Taylor stood firm, only booking the on-loan Bayer Leverkusen defender.
Why Piero Hincapie wasn’t sent off against Chelsea
Hackett has now explained why it was the correct call not to send off Hincapie despite Chalobah spotting a huge lump on his face after the challenge.
“Yellow is reckless, red is violent conduct, excessive force etc. And what we look for first of all is a clinched fist, a bent elbow and backward movement. And we know then the elbow and the arm is being used as a weapon'” he explained to Football Insider.
Source: UGC
“In this situation, I felt rightly that this was worthy of a yellow card and not a red and they got that one right like they got the red card right.”
The 23-year-old partnered Christhian Mosquera at the heart of the defence in the absence of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. Saliba picked up a knock in training while Gabriel was hurt during the international break.
“Yesterday in training, he was uncomfortable, so we need to explore a little bit more what happened. I don’t think it’s something major, but enough not to be involved in the game,” said Arteta when asked about Saliba via Football London.
The two had some shaky moments but did well to keep their composure and leave West London with a point.
Why Arsenal will pay huge fine after Chelsea game
At the same time, Arsenal will pay a huge amount of money in fines after their game against Chelsea.
The Gunners had six players booked in a single game, which attracts fines from the Football Association (FA).
Chelsea were fined last year for a similar offence against Bournemouth, while Arsenal were also fined after their game against Liverpool last season.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
