Stamford Bridge, London – Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has criticized referee Anthony Taylor for what he sees as inconsistent officiating during Sunday's 1-1 draw against Arsenal. The focal point of Maresca's frustration was Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié's challenge on Trevoh Chalobah, which left the Chelsea defender with a black eye.
The incident occurred in the first half, shortly after Chelsea's Moises Caicedo received a straight red card for a studs-first tackle on Arsenal's Mikel Merino. Replays showed Hincapié appearing to catch Chalobah in the face with an elbow, resulting in visible damage. Chalobah was seen with ice on his face at halftime.
Maresca believed that Hincapié should have also been sent off, which would have made the match a 10-vs-10 affair. He revealed that Chelsea captain Reece James shared this sentiment, telling broadcasters that there should have been "one more red". "I think Reece is right," Maresca stated.
Maresca voiced his confusion and disappointment with the referee's decision-making, questioning why similar challenges were judged differently. He pointed to a previous incident involving Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur, who was not sent off for a tackle against Chelsea. "As a manager, we struggle to understand why they judge them in different ways," Maresca said. "Moi is a red card? Yes. Bentancur is a red card? Yes. Why did they not give them a red card?".
When Maresca asked referee Anthony Taylor about the Hincapié challenge, he was told that it was not an elbow. Maresca retorted by saying Chalobah had a black eye and was being treated with ice.
Despite being down to 10 men, Chelsea took the lead through Chalobah. However, Arsenal equalized through Merino, who admitted he was fortunate to escape serious injury from Caicedo's challenge. "I felt my ankle go all the way but luckily I have very mobile ankles," Merino said. "I knew it was a horrible challenge and it was going to be a red card".
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta felt his team did not fully capitalize on their man advantage, in part due to Chelsea's attempts to get Arsenal players sent off. Arsenal were already missing key central defenders Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba through injury.
Caicedo's red card means he will miss Chelsea's upcoming matches against Leeds, Bournemouth and Everton. Maresca, while pleased with his team's performance despite the numerical disadvantage, was left to rue the refereeing decisions that he believes impacted the game. The draw leaves Arsenal's lead at the top of the table intact.
