Chelsea earned a point against Arsenal after Enzo Maresca’s side had Moises Caicedo sent off for a challenge on Mikel Merino in the first half.
Manager Gary Lineker has expressed sympathy for Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo, questioning the use of slow motion in VAR after he received a red card against Arsenal. The Blues midfielder received his marching orders after his tackle on Mikel Merino in the first half of Sunday’s summit clash.
Midway through the first half, a Chelsea midfielder lunged to win the ball back and caught the Spanish midfielder above the ankle, causing both to pile up. Caicedo was shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor, but the decision was overturned after VAR intervened and the penalty was upgraded to a red card.
Mr Lineker felt the use of technology made the incident worse. He said on the Rest is Football podcast:
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“His foot wasn’t up. It was a millisecond too late and it looked terrible in slow motion. So I can understand why they could potentially overturn the call, but I mean, really? I don’t think it would have been a foul in my day, much less a red card.”
“I think the slow motion is distorting what’s really happening because it’s ‘hitting the ball’ (a ricochet motion), so the foot bounces.
“If he had put his foot up in the air, it would have gone over the ball earlier and it would have definitely been a red card. If you look at it in slow motion it looks bad, but if you look at it normally it’s just a little (slow).”
Lineker added: “I understand why they gave it away, but to be honest I think it was an honest tackle and there was no intent to cause any harm. Both players were really quick and one got there quickly.”
“If Caicedo had kicked the ball first, it would have been a red card. I understand that. I’m not saying it was a wrong call, but I think we need to look at this slow-motion situation. As the referee sees it, it’s completely slow. Everything slow looks deliberate.”
Despite their manpower disadvantage, Chelsea broke the deadlock in the second half and took the lead with Trevor Chalobah’s looped header. However, Merino leveled the score with a header from Bukayo Saka’s cross.
Both teams had chances to grab points at the dead, with the Gunners looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League. They narrowly defeated Leeds United on Saturday to cut their lead at the top of the table to five points, but they were unable to do so and were unable to extend their lead over Manchester City.
Merino admitted he was lucky to avoid serious injury following a “terrible” challenge from his Chelsea opponent. “My ankle felt like it was hurting towards the end, but luckily my ankle and body are very mobile,” he said.
“It was a scary challenge and I knew it would result in a red card.”
Lineker’s comments come almost two years after the former Match of the Day host was forced to backtrack on technology. The 65-year-old had backed the introduction of video assistant referees, with the aim of reducing errors and removing the main talking point from football.
However, in December 2023, Kai Havertz’s goal against Aston Villa was ruled out by VAR for a handball, and he was forced to admit that he regretted upholding VAR. He said: “Well, I have to say, I don’t really like VAR anymore.
“I was one of those who supported it and I actually feel pretty guilty about it and it was definitely wrong. It ruins the game.”
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