Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea: Unpacking nine VAR checks in chaotic half of football
Former England defender Jamie Carragher called it “box office”, while television commentator Peter Drury said it was “carnage and chaos”.
After a weekend of more managerial ranting about video assistant referees (VAR), on-field referee Michael Oliver and his boss Howard Webb were probably hoping for a quiet London derby.
No chance…
In 45 minutes – with an extra 12 minutes added on – there were numerous VAR interventions in Tottenham’s match with Chelsea, including four disallowed goals, three red-card checks and two penalty checks.
The second half had more goals, albeit with slightly less mayhem as Nicolas Jackson scored a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 4-1 win.
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Mercifully, defeated Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou was measured with his post-match verdict, saying: “That utopia where there are no wrong decisions in the game will never exist. It’s our own fault as we complain about decisions every week.”
Here BBC Sport recaps all the major incidents, on yet another busy night for Premier League’s scrutinised officials…
14 mins – Spurs goal disallowed
Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson uses his pace to get away down the left and plays a perfect ball for Son Heung-min to tap in, but the flag is up for offside, with VAR confirming the tight offside decision.
“Very, very close,” was former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer’s verdict on BBC Radio 5 Live.
18 mins – potential red card for Udogie
Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie makes a really risky challenge as he dives in two-footed, off the floor, on Raheem Sterling. He is booked but VAR has a look and the yellow card remains, controversially.
Schwarzer said: “If it is 10 or 15 centimetres to the left, I think that’s a red card.”
But ex-England defender Gary Neville on Sky Sports said: “Destiny Udogie should have been sent off. You don’t have to break a player’s leg to get a red card.”
22 mins – Chelsea goal disallowed for handball
Reece James plays a brilliant ball out wide to Sterling, who goes into the box; a first shot deflects on to his arm off Pedro Porro but he keeps going and forces the ball into the net. Chelsea’s celebrations are cut short with VAR ruling the goal out for handball.
Schwarzer said: “Great persistence there, Sterling just keeps going. But that is handball.”
22 mins – Romero kicks out at Colwill
In the build-up to that disallowed goal, Cristian Romero kicks the leg of Levi Colwill off the ball. A VAR check comes and goes and Romero stays on the pitch… for now.
Ex-Chelsea striker Chris Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live said: “I’m glad I saw it again because when I first saw it, I thought Romero definitely lashed out but then it was just a meek kick.”
Neville said he was “50-50”, having watched the incident again on a replay.
28 mins – Chelsea have another goal disallowed
Moises Caicedo drives a shot in from outside the box but the effort goes through the legs of Jackson and the flag is up. After a VAR check, Jackson is ruled narrowly offside and the decision stands.
Schwarzer said: “Jackson in the line of the goalkeeper is the only thing it can be, because no-one else is offside.”
28 mins – Chelsea get a penalty, Romero sent off
But… Enzo Fernandez is left on the floor in the penalty area and now we see why. Romero, lucky to have stayed on the pitch earlier, challenges Fernandez but then catches the Chelsea man on his ankle on his follow-through.
The on-pitch referee is urged by the VAR official to check the incident on the pitchside monitor. He awards a penalty and shows Romero a straight red card for dangerous play. The incident is then replayed on the big screens at the stadium with the Spurs fans booing the decision as they think Romero got the ball first.
Carragher said on Sky: “Absolutely ridiculous to put in a challenge like that in the box. Those days are long gone when you say: ‘I got the ball first.’ He was out of control, excessive force, definite red card.”
Neville added: “I have no sympathy for him. It’s the wildest of challenges.”
Cole Palmer converts the penalty, with his spot-kick going in off the post after Guglielmo Vicario gets two hands to it.
37 mins – Chelsea have another goal disallowed
Jackson has the ball in the net, converting from Sterling’s cross, but this is an easy decision with the England man clearly offside when receiving the ball.
43 mins – Postecoglou booked
It’s feisty on the pitch and in the technical areas. Spurs boss Postecoglou talks himself into a booking.
Schwarzer said: “You don’t see Ange lose his cool too often. He wasn’t over the top. He probably just gave the fourth official a bit of an earful.”
45+7 mins – Sterling goes down, no penalty
Sterling is challenged by Porro. No penalty is awarded and Sterling, having gone to ground easily, is lucky to have not been booked for diving.
Sutton said: “We saw at the weekend [Sheffield United’s] George Baldock diving. While there is rage at the referees and their level of performance, every week we see players cheating and diving. Yet we don’t hear managers calling out players for that. They will congratulate players for winning penalties.”
45+8 mins – Colwill and Sarr booked for pushing and shoving
Chelsea’s Levi Colwill and Tottenham’s Pape Matar Sarr are involved in some pushing and shoving. Both get a booking with no need for further punishment.
Schwarzer, accurately, predicted: “I would be very surprised [if this stayed 11 v 10].
“Colwill there should be thinking ‘we’ve got the man advantage’ so just walk away. What is Colwill doing? Why is he even involved? Just walk away.”
45+11 mins – No action taken against James for flailing arm
There’s a clash between Reece James and Udogie. It is a check for a possible red card, with James catching Udogie with a flailing arm, but no action is taken.
Second half
There are fewer incidents in the second half but still some – not to mention Jackson’s hat-trick.
55 mins – Udogie is second Spurs man sent off
Udogie, who could have been sent off in the first half when he started the chaos with his two-footed lunge, now does see red for his second booking.
It is a late, mistimed sliding challenge on Sterling and Spurs go down to nine players.
Neville said: “I can’t believe the madness. He knows he is on a booking and Sterling is going away from goal.”
Schwarzer added: “As soon as he makes the challenge and he gets it wrong, he knows he is going to go.
“I think it is just a rush of blood and he must feel he is going to get to it but Sterling is very fast.”
75 mins – Chelsea take the lead
Jackson steers in Sterling’s cross. There’s a VAR check to see if Sterling was onside, and he is, so the goal stands.
“My first initial thought was that Sterling was offside. The linesman kept his flag down,” said Schwarzer. “But he is onside. My vision is not as good as it used to be!”
79 mins – Potential Tottenham equaliser disallowed for offside
Eric Dier thinks he has made it 2-2, volleying in at the back post. The flag is raised, but another lengthy VAR check follows – which keeps the decision as no goal. It’s the fifth disallowed goal of the game.
Schwarzer said: “It depends who it has come off. But what a finish from Eric Dier. What a finish. I think [Rodrigo] Bentancur gets the first header but it looks like initially [it could] have come off a Chelsea player first. This is an easy [decision] compared to what we’ve had tonight.”
And Chelsea take advantage – with Jackson netting two more to seal a hat-trick.
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