Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca believes that Lisandro Martinez should have been sent off during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
A late challenge on Cole Palmer saw the United defender receive a booking from referee Robert Jones. He was shown the yellow card after catching the Chelsea star with his studs but wasn’t further unpunished for the foul.
The perceived light response from the official did not sit well with the Blues boss, who went on to make his feelings clear on the controversial challenge at Old Trafford.
“[Palmer] was in the changing room with ice, so we are waiting now. Hopefully it is nothing important,” Maresca said after the game. “I know you are going to ask me about the referee’s decision.
“It is quite clear almost for all of us, but the referee is there to take a decision and he took a different decision. When there is no intention to go for the ball and you just go for the player, for the legs, there is no doubt about the decision. I think it’s quite clear it’s a red.”
Maresca was not alone in his confusion as to why Martinez was only shown a yellow for his careless tackle. The Premier League’s official Match Centre account detailed the incident as “a reckless challenge and not serious foul play”, meaning the decision was ultimately in the hands of the referee as to how severe the centre-back’s punishment needed to be.
While that doesn’t come as welcome news to Chelsea fans, plenty of discourse on social media highlighted the amount of people that agreed with the Blues boss.
Chelsea were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Red Devils after a frustrating afternoon in Manchester. The west London side were the first to go up against United in a Premier League game since Erik ten Hag was sacked and are set to face an out of form Arsenal on Sunday next weekend, after their midweek Conference League clash with Noah.
