Tuchel’s pressure on Anthony Taylor finally pays off
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel had requested extra protection from the referee just before the game against Leeds United, who are known for their hard challenges.
Tuchel said ahead of the game: “The referee’s role is always very important,”
“We have seen it in their last games with big physicality and they take huge risks also in challenges, which is fair enough, but I don’t feel comfortable in predicting this in our game.
“We have to deal with it and of course we expect a certain level of fair play but we cannot in our position leave players out because we fear they will get injured.”
True to Tuchel’s words, Leeds were very aggressive in their approach to the game, and it didn’t take long to see the evidence.
Anthony Taylor was in charge of the game, and the centre referee didn’t hesitate to issue Daniel James a red card after his horror tackle on Mateo Kovacic.
A 24th minute red card made the job easier for Chelsea, but Thomas Tuchel’s biggest regret would be the injury to his star midfielder ahead of the FA Cup final.
Hopefully, Kovacic will be ready for Saturday.