Thomas Tuchel has suggested that VAR made the right decision to rule out Maxwel Cornet’s late equaliser at Stamford Bridge. The German coach described Jarrod Bowen’s touch on Edouard Mendy as a ‘clear foul’ in the build-up to Cornet’s strike. Tuchel was unequivocal in his assessment, however.
Thomas Tuchel said: “It was a clear foul on the goalkeeper. I had doubts about the first one – but I will not comment. Last time I got punished with huge fines. You give your opinion. You will not be fined. It obviously went in our favour. There is a reason I think it went in our favour. It’s my opinion and I don’t know if everyone shares the opinion that it’s very clear it’s a foul. The first goal we concede is very similar to the situation we had against Tottenham but I leave it to you to decide if this goal should stand and whether this situation isn’t the same situation as against Tottenham. I will not comment anymore because what happened against Tottenham was so obvious and I paid a lot of money for commenting, so I will not do it again.”
Regardless of the rights or wrongs of the decision, it appears that Mendy was injured in the collision, and Tuchel has cast doubt on his ability to face Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. The Blues play in the Croatian capital on Tuesday to open their European campaign.
Thomas Tuchel said: “He was in a lot of pain and we have to see. It’s too early to comment on that. I think at the moment he is a bit unlucky in what he is doing. In training, he is fantastic and he is in general a very calm and self-reflective guy who is aware that he lacks a little bit of luck at the moment. Things do not go in his favour. If he has maybe a situation where his action isn’t 100% clear, he gets punished for it massively. He is just in this moment and it feels like it’s not so much his fault. I have the feeling because he tries everything, is very calm and focused. We will keep on supporting him”
