Chelsea managed to hold out a 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal despite playing the majority of the game with 10 men after Moises Caicedo was shown a red card.
Anthony Taylor has acquired more Chelsea players than any other club during his career as a referee. The 47-year-old faced intense criticism online for his handling of the clash between league leaders Arsenal and second-placed Chelsea.
The key moment of the match came in the first half, when Moises Caicedo was sent off for a challenge on Mikel Merino. Taylor initially showed the midfielder a yellow card, but the decision was upgraded to a straight red after a VAR review.
Taylor has been a Premier League referee since 2010 and throughout his 15 years in the top flight, Chelsea have achieved the most per game under him.
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In the 57 games he managed for Chelsea, Taylor picked up 129 yellow cards, two second yellow sending offs and two consecutive red cards. Caicedo became the second Chelsea player to receive a direct red from Taylor.
As a pundit for Sky Sports, Daniel Sturridge believed the red card was correct, but disagreed with the process.
“When you see the speed drop, it looks bad. At first the referee decided to give him a yellow card. Then they refused it again and used VAR. When you see the speed drop, it’s a red card. At full speed it’s not so bad,” he said.
“If you see the challenge slowing down, the refs will be worried about him. If you go to the screen and see it slowing down, it’s Red.”
Chelsea supporters have made their feelings known on social media, with one fan saying: “Arsenal had Anthony Taylor on their side today but they played over 60 minutes with 10 men and they still couldn’t beat Chelsea. London will always be blue.”
Taylor dealt a total of six cards in the first half alone. Four yellows for Arsenal, one for Chelsea and a red for Caicedo. Miles Lewis-Skelly was the only player booked after the break.
Fans inside Stamford Bridge also felt Arsenal should have been reduced to 10 men. Clown Hincapie appeared to catch Trevor Chalobah with a flying elbow to the face.
One supporter wrote: “An obvious elbow to the face is fine, but a horribly mistimed tackle is not. Another episode of the Anthony Taylor show,” while another added: “Anthony Taylor and yellow and red cards, the never-ending story.”
Another fan pointed out that Arsenal had received the lowest number of yellow cards in the league heading into the match, and questioned why Taylor felt so “undisciplined” in the first 45 minutes. Mikel Arteta’s side have the third lowest overall result this season.
Meanwhile, Chelsea remain top of the league with four red cards. Three teams are in second place with two each. Enzo Maresca will no doubt be keen on this issue if he wants to maintain his title push.
After the 1-1 draw, Arsenal’s lead in the Premier League narrowed from six points to five, with Manchester City overtaking Chelsea into second place.
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