Thiago Silva takes cheeky dig at referee Anthony Taylor after Chelsea lose to Manchester City
Thiago Silva has mocked referee Anthony Taylor over a penalty shout in Chelsea's 2-0 defeat against Manchester City on Sunday (August 18). The Brazilian took to social media to aim a sly dig at the official.
Silva joined the west Londoners in the summer of 2020 from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The 39-year-old was a key player during his time at Stamford Bridge, helping them win the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup.
Silva registered 155 appearances for Chelsea, contributing nine goals and four assists. The Brazil international departed west London earlier in the summer following the expiration of his contract.
The Blues have now commenced the 2024-25 campaign without their veteran center-back under new manager Enzo Maresca. The Italian boss' first game in charge, however, certainly did not go as planned.
Chelsea locked horns with reigning champions Manchester City at home in their opening fixture. The Blues suffered a 2-0 defeat, courtesy of goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic.
Before Kovacic found City's second of the match, the Croatian midfielder came close to giving away a penalty due to a handball. The Blues, however, were denied a spot-kick after a VAR check as his arm was found to be in a natural position.
The decision did not sit well with Silva, who hit out at referee Anthony Taylor with a comment on an Instagram post displaying the incident.
You can view the post below:
Frank Leboeuf names Chelsea star who was 'poorest' against Manchester City
Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf has slammed Enzo Fernandez for his performance against Manchester City. The pundit believes Fernandez was the worst of the lot against Pep Guardiola's side.
The Argentine midfielder started the game and played the entire 90, wearing the captain's armband in Reece James' absence. Leboeuf feels Fernandez lacked tenacity and failed to lead his side as the skipper. He said (via Metro):
"I found Enzo Fernandez the poorest in that game. He is the skipper. He has to set an example. I didn’t feel he was sharp or ready to fight."
Leboeuf added on the team's issues up front:
"They are still trying stuff… I can feel something is getting better at Chelsea. But at the end of the day, if you can’t score goals, because you don’t have a striker, that is a big problem."
Fernandez has made 63 appearances since joining the west London outfit, scoring seven goals and providing five assists.