VAR Penalty
During the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United that ended in a 1-1 draw on Sunday, a significant incident took place involving Lisandro Martinez. The Manchester United defender was booked in the 93rd minute for a challenge on Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, catching him high on the left knee. The Premier League later released a statement explaining that the referee had issued a yellow card to Martinez, and after a VAR check for a potential red card, the decision to not escalate the card was upheld as the challenge was deemed reckless but not warranting a red card.
Gary Neville, a former Manchester United full-back, expressed his thoughts on the incident and the referee’s decision.
Gary Neville said, “The referee issued a yellow card to Martinez for a challenge on Palmer. VAR checked for a potential red card and confirmed the referee’s call of no red card, deeming that it was a reckless challenge. I think when you go knee-high and the ball’s gone, with studs, I’m not quite sure what sort of interpretation it is but I think that is a red.”
On the other hand, Mike Dean, a former Premier League referee, opposed Neville’s assessment, backing the decision made by on-field referee Rob Jones. Dean felt that the handling of the situation by Jones was appropriate and aligned with the rules and guidelines governing the game.
In terms of the league standings, the result left Enzo Maresca’s side in fourth place on the table, trailing one point behind third-place Nottingham Forest and five points behind second-place Manchester City.
