Chelsea came from behind to win 4-3 away against Tottenham, but the game was not without controversy, as referee Anthony Taylor elected not to send off Moises Caicedo.
Tottenham were furious as Chelsea star Moises Caicedo avoided a red card in North London before winning a game-tying penalty in the Blues’ comeback victory.
Caicedo went in high on Pape Matar Sarr during the first half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the Video Assistant Referee deemed it unworthy of a red card. “VAR checked for a potential red card following a challenge by Caicedo on Sarr and confirmed the referee’s call of no serious foul play,” the Premier League Match Centre account stated on social media.
It was one of two contentious moments in the opening quarter, with Spurs winger Dejan Kulusevski avoiding punishment for catching Romeo Lavia with a high arm. According to Sky Sports, the incident was declared accidental, allowing the Swede to remain on the field.
The Caicedo decision was costly for Ange Postecoglou’s team. After being permitted to remain on the field, the Ecuadorian was brought down in the box by Yves Bissouma just before the hour mark, and Cole Palmer equalized from the penalty spot.
Spurs had raced into an early two-goal lead, with Dominic Solanke opening the scoring and Kulusevski doubling their lead. However, they were dealy a blow when Cristian Romero’s comeback from injury lasted just 15 minutes.
Jadon Sancho brought Chelsea back into the game, scoring for the second time in as many matches, before Palmer made it 2-2. Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea in front 17 minutes from time, while the Blues won a second penalty as Sarr felled Palmer.
Chelsea’s top scorer converted from the spot for a second time for Chelsea’s fourth, with Son Heung-min’s late goal not enough for Spurs, but some were left baffled by the earlier VAR call. After reading the justification for Caicedo staying on, it wasn’t just Spurs fans raising concerns.
“Someone needs to define serious foul play, because how is studding someone’s shin not that?” one response read. “It’s the most obvious red card of the season, it’s high it’s late and it’s excessive force,” was the reaction from another fan.
Others linked Caicedo’s challenge to one made by Romero in the same match last season. The Argentina international was sent out on that occasion for a high challenge on Fernandez, and Chelsea was granted a penalty as a result.
“I’m not surprised this resulted in a red as well as a penalty,” former Premier League ref Mark Clattenburg wrote for The Mail at the time. Romero flew into a challenge and took a huge risk, even though he clearly won the ball. Football has changed so much and now playing the ball is not enough to save someone from red.”
