Moises Caicedo was sent off in the clash between Chelsea and Arsenal, but Piero Hincapie was spared the same fate after catching Trevor Chalobah with an elbow at Stamford Bridge.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has completely rejected the idea that Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie should have been sent off for elbowing Trevor Chalobah. The Ecuadorian international sent off the Chelsea star, who suffered a gash on his cheek during a first-half challenge, but was only shown a yellow card.
There were soon calls from Chelsea players to brandish the red after Moises Caicedo had already been given his marching orders thanks to VAR intervention. Blues manager Enzo Maresca was in disbelief that Hincapie was not handed the same penalty.
The Gunners were unable to capitalize on their advantage as Chalobah scored first. Mikel Merino scored the equalizing goal for the away team after being fouled by Caicedo.
However, Arsenal were not lucky to have 10 men on the field. Former official Gallagher believes it was natural for Hincapie to be given the yellow, and that the scar left on Charova was probably hiding it.
“I actually think it’s a yellow card,” Gallagher said. “I think you have to be very careful not to be tempted by his cheeks, you have to judge the challenge.
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“The player fell asleep, he used his arm as leverage, he didn’t swing his elbow, he didn’t use it as a weapon. He caught it, there’s no doubt about that.
“The arm is shaking, it’s an unfortunate injury, but it’s a reckless challenge. It’s not a challenge that was done to cause injury or pain to the player.”
Blues manager Maresca seems unlikely to accept that reasoning. The Italian manager believes his team was unfairly hurt after seeing Rodrigo Bentancur also avoid the red last month.
Reece James said Arsenal should have gone down to 10 men, but Maresca told a press conference: “I think Reece is right, but it’s for them to decide.”
“So I said, he asked me about Moises’ red card. It’s a red card, but why wasn’t Bentancur’s game against Leith a red card when we were away at Spurs? So we as managers are struggling to understand why they would take a different decision.”
“Moises is a red card, yes. Bentancur is also a red card, yes. Why don’t they give him a red card? It’s just that we have a hard time understanding. The reality is that it’s a red card. But why would they judge differently?”
“And Trevor’s game, I asked the referee and he said it wasn’t an elbow. So that’s what they said. (His) eye was black and covered in ice at halftime. But they judge it differently.”
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