"What the fu** is this?" – What Mauricio Pochettino allegedly said after Chelsea late winner was ruled out
After Chelsea's late winner at Aston Villa was ruled out in a Premier League game, Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino apparently reacted with an expletive-laden remark.
Earlier on Saturday (April 27), the Stamford Bridge club came back from two goals down to register a 2-2 draw at Villa Park. They fell behind to Marc Cucurella's own goal in the fourth minute of the match and Morgan Rogers' low right-footed strike in the 42nd minute.
However, former Tottenham Hotspur academy star Noni Madueke pulled one back for the Blues in the 62nd minute. Conor Gallagher levelled things with a stellar left-footed curling effort in the 81st minute.
In the fifth minute of injury time, Chelsea believed they had completed a comeback after £39 million summer signing Axel Disasi headed the ball in. But, a VAR review cancelled the goal as Benoit Badiashile appeared to push Diego Carlos in the back during the build-up.
Following the VAR decision at Villa Park, Pochettino allegedly opined:
"What the fu** is this?"
At a post-match press conference, Pochettino was asked to share his thoughts on the controversial decision. He responded (h/t Daily Mail):
"We need to explain this to the people. I don't want to talk bad about the referee, but it is unbelievable, it's ridiculous. It is really painful as it has damaged English football, the image, and even Aston Villa players and the fans didn't understand why."
Pochettino, who replaced Frank Lampard as Chelsea's boss, added:
"[The referee] said it was a foul [on Diego Carlos] and if you see the challenge, it is a challenge. If every single challenge like this is a foul, we won't finish with 11 players in any game."
Fabrizio Romano provides take on Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino's job security
In his column for Caught Offside, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano asserted that the Blues hierarchy are yet to hold discussions about Mauricio Pochettino's future. He wrote:
"Chelsea's position remains the same as we said here many times, discussions to decide Pochettino's future will take place at the end of the season, not now. In that case, the owners will be involved and we will see what they decide. Of course, European football could be an important factor for Pochettino."
So far, the Argentine tactician has guided the Stamford Bridge outfit to 22 wins, 10 draws, and 14 losses in 46 outings across competitions.
Chelsea, who are ninth with 48 points from 33 matches, will next be in action in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur on May 2.