Trevoh Chalobah caught a flailing elbow to the face during Chelsea’s draw to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday night, leaving a nasty bruise on his cheek
Trevoh Chalobah has aimed a thinly-veiled dig at the match officials following Chelsea’s clash against Arsenal. Piero Hincapie elbowed the Blues defender in the face shortly before half-time, but he was not adjudged to have committed a red-card offence.
While Chalobah received medical treatment for a black eye, Anthony Taylor cautioned the Gunners defender. The Video Assistant Referee, John Brooks, and his assistant, Edward Smart, reviewed the incident from Stockley Park.
Hincapie had his eyes on the ball, so they deemed the challenge to be reckless, rather than dangerous or with excessive force. The England international argued his case, pointing to the large, swollen bruise on his cheek, but Taylor dismissed the protestations.
Chalobah, who later put Chelsea ahead at Stamford Bridge on Sunday night, showed off his battle wound on social media after the game. The 26-year-old uploaded a picture of himself to his Instagram story, holding an ice pack to his face.
While he didn’t comment on the incident, the choice of emojis spoke volumes: a face palm, an angry face, and a frustrated face. Chalobah did, however, post some pictures from the clash to his feed, which he captioned: “We press on.”
Speaking to reporters after the game, Enzo Maresca leapt to his player’s defence. The Chelsea boss revealed that he asked Taylor for an explanation, and the on-field referee allegedly claimed the Cobham graduate was not struck by an elbow.
“I asked the referee, he said to me that it was not an elbow,” said Maresca. “So, this is what they said. [He had a] black eye, with ice at half-time. But they judge in different way.”
Maresca pleaded for consistency from match officials. While the Italian accepted that Moises Caicedo should have been sent off for his challenge on Mikel Merino in the first half, he questioned why Rodrigo Bentancur wasn’t also given his marching orders for the same offence at the start of last month.
“It’s a red card, but why was Bentancur’s against Reece not a red card when we were at Spurs away?” asked Maresca. “So us, as a manager, we struggle to understand why they judge in different way.
“Moises’ is red card, yes. Bentancur’s is a red card, yes. Why they don’t give him a red card? It’s just that, that we struggle to understand. The reality is that it’s red card. But why they judge in different way?”
Despite the controversy, Maresca was pleased with his players’ performance. The Chelsea boss added: “For sure, the effort of the players.
“Arsenal, they are top of the Premier League, top of the Champions League, best defenders in the Premier League, probably best defenders in the Champions League.
“So, in this moment, they are the best team. And I think 11v11, we were better than them. Then with 10 players again, changed the dynamic. So, the effort from the players has been outstanding.
