"I don’t get it" - Chelsea star slams Stuart Attwell after controversial decision in Carabao Cup final
Chelsea defender Trevor Chalobah was not happy with referee Stuart Attwell for not cautioning or sending off Naby Keita for a challenge in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Blues and Liverpool were involved in a thrilling Carabao Cup final clash, with the Reds claiming an incredible 11-10 victory in a penalty shootout. Although the game ended 0-0 after 120 minutes, there were plenty of talking points in the game.
In the second half, Keita and the Blues' Chalobah competed for a high ball. The Liverpool midfielder missed the ball, and his studs made contact with Chalobah's groin. Although the Blues were awarded a free-kick, no further action was taken, and Keita did not even receive a yellow card for the challenge.
Keita and Chalobah both down after a collision in midfield. Ref allowed play to go on. Keita caught him high and very painfully.
Taking to Twitter, the young Blues defender revealed that he had to get stitches because of Keita's challenge. Chalobah wrote:
"Had to get stitches because of this. Referee is right there I don’t get it??"
Had to get stitches because of this. Referee is right there I don’t get it?? 🤦🏾♂️ twitter.com/skyfootball/st…
With the game being decided on fine margins, the decision to not send off Keita or at least caution him for the challenge did not go down well with Chalobah himself and Chelsea fans as well:
I wouldn't say their is an agenda against Chelsea, but definitely a few questionable decisions yesterday.
The Lukaku offside is just farcical tbh, and Keita should have seen red for his challenge on Chalobah.
Keita catches Chalobah groin high but Atwell and VAR don’t think there’s anything in it… 😂😂 #CarabaoCupFinal https://t.co/1Sogg4Jwp1
Naby Keita was soon substituted after the incident, and replaced by James Milner in the second half.
"It is a bit of a weird line" - Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel not happy with Romelu Lukaku offside decision
The game's other big talking point was the decision to chalk off Romelu Lukaku's goal. The Belgian, coming off the bench, seemed to have scored the winner for Chelsea, but VAR subsequently showed the striker to be offside by a hair's breadth.
🗣 "Maybe I don't understand fully where the line is drawn."
Thomas Tuchel is questioned about the tight call to disallow Romelu Lukaku's goal for offside https://t.co/hJoW6hY49o
Speaking after the game, manager Thomas Tuchel was not too pleased with the call, saying:
“Playing like this at this level made me very proud today. I saw a brilliant match of football over 120 minutes, and we played a huge part of it.
“I have the feeling we created a bit more, were a bit more there, but maybe that is also subjective. This game could’ve easily gone either way. You need a bit of luck and momentum to win it. If you look at the line that is drawn on the Romelu goal, it’s a bit of a weird line where it’s drawn and then to make the decision that it’s offside, but that’s it.
The Blues manager continued:
“We can’t have any regrets. I am proud of the performance and the team. There are a lot of good thing,s and I told the guys we should not lose sleep about this. It was an entertaining match of football that was full of intensity, and I am very, very happy to have had the chance to be part of this. It was excellent.”
Chelsea will look to bounce back from their heartbreaking loss when they face Luton Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday.