"I don't think it was a sending-off" - Chelsea star admits he was gutted for Fikayo Tomori after controversial red card in 2-0 AC Milan win
Chelsea attacker Mason Mount believes that AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori didn't deserve to be sent off in their UEFA Champions League encounter on October 11.
Tomori was given his marching orders in the 18th minute for appearing to tug Mount back.
German referee Daniel Siebert also awarded the Blues a penalty, but his decision to send Tomori off has drawn huge criticism.
Chelsea went on to win the game 2-0, with Jorginho converting the spot-kick in the 21st minute before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck home a second in the 34th minute.
However, much of the post-match talk has been about Siebert's contentious decision to send off former Blues defender Tomori.
Mount has admitted that he doesn't believe the foul warranted a red card, telling the club's official website:
"He's obviously my mate, I've known Fik for a very long time and I felt for him in that situation, I was gutted for him."
He continued:
"I don't think it was a sending-off. Was it a penalty? Maybe yes. I'm an honest player and I want to try to score a goal and he pulled me back a little bit, but I feel for him for that decision. It's a tough one."
Mount went on to explain why he had stayed on his feet despite Tomori trying to pull him back when in on goal:
"I felt him trying to pull me back, but I was running to goal so I wasn't going to go down and I felt like I could still have an opportunity to score."
This was the incident that saw Fikayo Tomori sent off...
Thoughts? 😳
https://t.co/NImkrSWiWk
The win sees Chelsea now top of Group E on seven points, a point ahead of second-placed RB Salzburg.
They face the Austrian side on October 25 and will be looking to confirm their place in the knockout stages with a victory.
Chelsea and England fret on Reece James' injury
Despite Chelsea securing a vital victory over Milan, it was marred by a concerning injury to right-back James.
The English defender had to come off in the 62nd minute to be replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta, having incurred a problem with his leg.
James remained optimistic and posted this message on Twitter after the win:
"Fingers crossed it’s not a bad one. Love for all the messages, I appreciate you all."
🫶🏽
Fingers crossed it’s not a bad one 🤞🏾 Love for all the messages, I appreciate you all 💙🫶🏽 https://t.co/2DvHS5r4lM
Not only will Blues fans be worried about the extent of the injury, but so will England.
The Three Lions head to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the end of November and James is expected to be a part of the squad.
He has made 11 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing two assists.