PGMOL criticized for a ‘terrible’ referee call in the Arsenal vs Chelsea game
Chris Kavanagh faced a lot of criticism on social media after giving Morgan Rogers a yellow card following a rough challenge by Declan Rice during the Arsenal vs Chelsea match.
Arsenal moved back to the top of the Premier League, tied with Manchester City on points and goal difference, after coming from behind to beat Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. Morgan Rogers scored first for Chelsea with an amazing volley in just two minutes, but goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard helped Arsenal win 2-1.
The game was fast-paced and full of exciting moments, which meant referee Chris Kavanagh had some tough decisions to make. Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes was lucky not to get booked after accidentally catching goalkeeper Emi Martinez with his boot while trying to play the ball.
Later in the second half, Declan Rice tripped Morgan Rogers just as he was about to enter the box but wasn’t given a yellow card. Instead, Kavanagh gave a goal kick instead of a free kick, which upset Rogers, who then pushed his England teammate Rice in frustration.
Kavanagh gave Rogers a yellow card for pushing Rice but didn’t book Rice for the trip. Many, including Gary Neville on Sky Sports, disagreed with this decision. Neville said, “Morgan Rogers is angry and pushed Declan Rice, and he’s right. Rice tripped him, and the referee missed it. Rice knew he couldn’t catch Rogers—they’re England teammates.”
The clip went viral, and many fans agreed with Neville, with comments like, “This is why some people dislike Arsenal, unfair that Rogers got booked when Rice didn’t,” and “Rice clearly stopped Rogers from entering the box, but no call was made.” Others felt the referee favored Arsenal all along.
Despite some calls going Arsenal’s way, they showed why they’re favorites to keep the Premier League title. Chelsea, usually good at scoring, managed just one goal and had a low expected goal rate of 0.35 at the Emirates. New signing Ezri Konsa stood out on his full debut alongside Gabriel.
Konsa was brought in from Aston Villa for £55 million to partner Gabriel, while William Saliba is still recovering from a back injury. Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports that the Gunners look really strong even without Saliba, who he called a world-class defender, and believes this should worry other teams.
Arsenal’s next matches are against Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday and Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.