BLUE IN THE FACE
Raging Chelsea stars pushed away from referee and linesmen by Blues coaches in explosive bust-up after VAR stops goal
The frustration spilled out to the post-match interviews
RAGING Chelsea stars were forced away from officials after protesting their disallowed winner at Aston Villa.
The Blues came from two behind to level the game thanks to Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher.
3
3
And the visitors thought they had won the game at the death after Axel Disasi headed home what looked to be a late winner.
But VAR ruled it out after adjudging that Benoit Badiashile had nudged Diego Carlos in the back illegally in the build-up to the goal.
It denied Chelsea a come-from-behind victory and their players were incensed at full time.
Badiashile and Madueke were fuming with the referee and linesmen following the final whistle and had to be restrained by coaches.
READ MORE IN football
Madueke was evidently still fuming with the decision when probed by the BBC post-match.
He said: "Should it have been three points? Yes."
Madueke, 22, added: "Do I think the goal should have stood? Yes. Nothing else to say about the situation."
Under-fire Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was equally angry in the aftermath as he told TNT Sports: "Everyone that was watching the game will feel disappointed.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
"The referee said it was a foul and disallowed the goal and then going to the VAR to confirm.
"The referee is unbelievable and it's ridiculous. It is difficult to accept, these type of things in the semi-final [FA Cup against Man City] two weeks ago it was handball and it was no penalty, the referee he didn't check it.
Mauricio Pochettino claims VAR has 'damaged' five things in scathing rant after ref changes mind over late Chelsea goal
"It is painful as it has damaged English football and I think Villa players and their fans didn't understand why the goal was disallowed.
"They said it was foul and if you see the challenge what happened if we go into every single challenge like this it is going to be a foul and we wouldn't finish the game with 11 [players].
"We can talk about the performance or the decision - it is damaging the game. I am calm and it is only to help.
"Now, we have to move on and it will be in the headlines with the disallowed goal."
Our beautiful game is broken, says Dave Kidd
By Dave Kidd
WHEN Manchester United got lucky in their FA Cup semi-final, Antony’s first instinct was to goad heartbroken opponents Coventry. To rub their noses in the dirt.
Antony seems to be a vile individual but this isn’t really about Antony. Because Antony is merely a symptom of the hideous sickness within England’s top flight.
There is so much wrong.
After our elite clubs persuaded the FA to completely scrap Cup replays — which gave us Ronnie Radford and Ricky Villa and Ryan Giggs — without due recompense or reasoning with the rest of English football.
The previous day, after his Manchester City side had defeated Chelsea in the other FA Cup semi-final, Pep Guardiola whinged about the fixture scheduling of TV companies who effectively pay much of his £20m salary.
Up at Wolves, Guardiola’s friend and rival Mikel Arteta was playing the same sad song about fixture congestion, despite his Arsenal side having played two fewer games this season than Coventry — who don’t have £50m squad players to rotate with.
Chelsea, oh Chelsea. The one-time plaything of a Russian oligarch now owned by financially incontinent venture capitalists who have piddled £1billion on a squad of players who fight like weasels in a sack about who should bask in the personal glory of scoring the penalty that puts them 5-0 up against Everton.
3
Topics