Manager Gary Lineker has expressed sympathy for Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo and raised concerns about VAR’s reliance on slow-motion replays following his sending off against Arsenal. The Blues star was sent off for a challenge on Mikel Merino early in a crucial Premier League game.<\/p>\n
Midway through the first half, a Chelsea player dived to recover the ball and made contact with the top of the Spanish midfielder’s ankle, causing both players to fall to the ground. Caicedo was initially given a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor, but the decision was overturned after VAR intervention and the penalty was increased to a red card.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Lineker believed that the introduction of this technology made the problem seem more serious than it actually was.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, he said: “I don’t think you should use slow motion for something like that. It’s like when you have a still image of your feet.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
“I think the slow motion is distorting what’s really happening because it’s ‘hitting the ball’ (a ricochet motion), so the foot bounces.<\/p>\n
“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).”<\/p>\n
Despite being down to 10 men, Chelsea took the lead in the second half when Trevor Chalobah’s header found the back of the net to break the deadlock.<\/p>\n
Still, Merino tied the score with a header off Bukayo Saka’s shot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Both teams had chances at the death to take all three points, with the Gunners pressing to extend their advantage in the Premier League summit.<\/p>\n
Failing to do so, they were unable to take advantage of Manchester City’s draw with Leeds on Saturday, reducing their lead at the top of the table to five points.<\/p>\n
Merino confessed he was lucky to avoid serious damage after a “horrifying” tackle from a Chelsea opponent.<\/p>\n
“My ankle felt like it was hurting towards the end, but luckily my ankle and body are very mobile,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It was a scary challenge and I knew it would result in a red card.”<\/p>\n
Lineker’s comments come almost two years after the former Match of the Day presenter was forced to change his stance on technology.<\/p>\n
The 65-year-old had backed the introduction of video assistant referees, hoping to reduce mistakes and eliminate football’s biggest controversy.<\/p>\n
However, in December 2023, he was forced to confess his regrets for supporting VAR after Kai Havertz’s strike was disallowed by VAR for handball against Aston Villa.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWell, I have to say, I don\u2019t really like VAR anymore.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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