"Doesn’t deserve to be a captain" "Unprofessionalism at its peak" - Chelsea fans call out star for incident in 2-1 Brighton win
Chelsea fans on X have blasted Reece James after he was sent off in their 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. The two sides faced each other in the Premier League at the Falmer Stadium on Wednesday, May 15.
The Blues got off to a bright start and won a penalty in the 17th minute after Marc Cucurella was brought down inside the box by Facundo Buonanotte. However, the spot-kick was ruled out after the referee re-checked on the monitor following a VAR check.
However, Chelsea weren't to be denied in the 34th minute as Cole Palmer unleashed a stunning header from Cucurella's cross to break the deadlock. Christopher Nkunku made a successful return from injury, neatly finishing from Malo Gusto's excellent cross to make it 2-0 in the 64th minute.
Chelsea's night was hampered in the 88th minute when Reece James was given a straight red card for maliciously kicking out at Joao Pedro. Brighton pulled one back through Danny Welbeck, seven minutes into stoppage time, but the Blues held on to their lead to secure all three points.
James' foul and subsequent dismissal nearly allowed the Seagulls to pull off a daring comeback. He came on as a second-half substitute in the 69th minute replacing Gusto but couldn't positively impact the game. Due to his straight red card, he is now set to miss four league games, including the first three next season.
One Chelsea fan posted:
"Reece James has to work on his anger issues. That was petulant from him. As the captain you gotta set a better example than that."
Another fan wrote:
"Reece James doesn’t deserve to be a captain at the moment."
Other fan reactions can be viewed below:
"Reece James highlights against Brighton", one fan posted.
"Unprofessionalism at its peak from Recee James", one fan pointed out.
"Such an unserious footballer", one fan wrote.
"For someone who struggles with injuries a lot, it’s quite stupid for him to do that", another fan chimed in.
"Turns out the softest kickout you've ever seen is more violent then a headshot that isnt even allowed in hockey or american football! This is one of the worst refereeing performances I have ever seen both ways from the ref and var", one fan defended James.
How has Reece James fared for Chelsea this season?
Chelsea skipper Reece James' season took a turn for the worse after he was given a red card for foul play in their win against Brighton. Despite his mistake, the Blues got the win, and are currently sixth in the league table with 60 points from 37 games.
James has had a season to forget, missing the majority of it due to injuries. Fortunately, Chelsea haven't felt his loss too heavily with Malo Gusto exceeding expectations in his debut season at Stamford Bridge.
The 24-year-old right-back has been limited to just 11 appearances across all competitions this season in which he provided two assists. He suffered a hamstring injury in Chelsea's first game of the season against Liverpool, which ruled him out for nine games (54 days).
However, just a few weeks after his return, James re-injured his hamstring and underwent surgery in an attempt to resolve the issue. This kept him sidelined for 29 games (151 days).