Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca launched a fierce critique of inconsistent Premier League officiating after his team secured a hard-fought draw with title-chasing Arsenal, despite playing most of the match with ten men.
Maresca's Fury Over Inconsistent Red Cards
The flashpoint occurred after 38 minutes when Chelsea's Moises Caicedo received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Arsenal's Mikel Merino. Maresca conceded the decision was correct but was left baffled by the inconsistency shown by referee Anthony Taylor.
The Italian boss pointed to a subsequent incident where Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie elbowed Trevoh Chalobah, leaving the Chelsea player with a noticeably swollen cheek. Hincapie was only shown a yellow card, a decision Maresca strongly contested.
He also referenced a previous match away at Tottenham in November, where Rodrigo Bentancur escaped a red card for a foul on Reece James that Maresca deemed similar to Caicedo's.
Chelsea's Resilient Performance with Ten Men
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Chelsea showed immense character. They took the lead through the injured Trevoh Chalobah before Merino eventually found an equaliser for the Gunners.
Maresca praised his team's spirit but reiterated his confusion with the officiating. 'Moises' red card – it's a red card, but why was Bentancur's against Reece not a red card when we were at Spurs away?' he questioned. 'As a manager, I struggle to understand why they judge in different ways.'
Regarding the Hincapie incident, Maresca revealed: 'The Trevoh one, I asked the referee, he said to me that it was not an elbow. This is what he said. (Chalobah had a) black eye, ice at half time, but they judge in different way.'
Arteta Points to Injury Crisis for Dropped Points
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta explained his side's failure to capitalise on their man advantage, citing a mounting injury crisis. His team was missing key defenders William Saliba and Gabriel, forcing a reshuffled backline that had never played together before.
'It's been a big week,' Arteta said, referencing matches against Tottenham and Bayern Munich. 'We lost players in those games... The team had to react to that. Overall it's been a really positive week because the difficulty was immense. We should have and we could have won this game and we haven't.'
On Saliba's injury, Arteta admitted the extent was unknown, confirming the defender would undergo further assessment.
