Chelsea's FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City was marred by two penalty claims that were dismissed by referee Darren England and VAR. The decisions have been scrutinised but former Premier League officials Mark Clattenburg and Darren Cann both backed the on-field calls.
The first incident occurred in first-half stoppage time when Joao Pedro went down under a challenge from Abdukodir Khusanov. VAR Peter Bankes reviewed the clash but did not ask England to revisit it. Clattenburg told The Chelsea Chronicle: 'There is contact but I would have been surprised if a foul and penalty was given as Khusanov was stronger and it was shoulder to shoulder.' Cann echoed that view, telling the BBC: 'No penalty for me, the two players came together shoulder to shoulder, both within playing distance of the ball.'
The second claim came after half-time when Jorrel Hato appeared to be bundled over by Khusanov. Again, VAR checked but stuck with England's decision to wave play on. Clattenburg said he would have been 'surprised' if a penalty had been awarded, describing the contact as 'mutual' and 'a coming together of two players.'
Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane disagreed, however, saying: 'For me the Jorrel Hato and Khusanov collision in the box is a penalty. Jorrel gets in front and it's a collision in the back. If that's anywhere else on the pitch it's a foul.' He pointed to a similar incident the previous week involving Joao Pedro that also went against his side.
Antoine Semenyo's second-half backheel proved decisive, sealing a 1-0 win for Pep Guardiola's side at Wembley and leaving Chelsea to rue what might have been.
