Chelsea deserved a penalty in their 0-0 draw with Everton and should have also had a man sent off according to Alan Shearer and Jermaine Jenas.
In a special segment on BBC Sport’s Match of the Day 2 programme, the pair of ex-Premier League footballers reviewed the key decisions from the stalemate at Stamford Bridge and explained why the officials made two serious errors.
The game featured six yellow cards – three for each side – including bookings for an altercation between Antonio Rudiger and Bernard and even the usually mild-mannered N’Golo Kante’s name was taken down by referee Kevin Friend.
Rather than go over every potential foul, MOTD2 focused on three moments in particular.
First of all they case their eyes over a claim of hand ball against Antonio Rudiger after the defender caught the ball with his hand as it was fired into the box.
Everton penalty: Handball on Antonio Rudiger
Despite the contact it wasn’t hand ball and it wasn’t a penalty for Shearer.
“I don’t think Rudiger was a hand ball,” he said. “It’s meant to be deliberate and the flick on from two yards – it’s not deliberate.”
The MOTD2 panel believed that referee Kevin Friend got that decision right. However, Jenas believed that he did deny Chelsea a clear penalty after Alvaro Morata went down in the Everton box.
Chelsea penalty: Yerry Mina on Alvaro Morata
“I think Yerry Mina on Morata is a penalty,” said the former Spurs and Newcastle midfielder. “Mina is not looking at the ball at all. The referee should get himself in a better position in all honesty. He’s got Morata by his throat.
“He’s got no intention of even looking at the ball. That’s a penalty, for me. A clear penalty.”
Host Mark Chapman suggested that the referee ignored Morata’s complaint due to the Spaniard throwing himself to the floor when no such force was applied to the striker by Mina, but Jenas disagreed.
“Until referees actually start being far more brave giving penalties in situations like that without the player having to throw themselves to the floor,” he said. “He’s obstructing him and he knows Mina is not looking at the ball and he only wants to hold him and obstruct him.
“So if you’ve got a hand to your throat it’s not going to make you fall on the floor but it is a foul.”
Chelsea red card: Jorginho on Gyfli Sigurdsson
Lastly, the duo turned their attentions to Jorginho’s tackle on Gylfi Sigurdsson, for which he was shown a yellow card. For Jenas and Shearer, the Italy international deserved a red card sending off.
“Jorginho is very very lucky,” said the former Newcastle striker. “It was a terrible challenge.
“He was frustrated because Sigurdsson was taking the ball, being strong and it’s a scissor challenge. It’s horrendous. He follows through on the ankle and then goes to chop him. Should have been a red card.”
Jenas agreed but sympathised with Kevin Friend’s decision during the game.
“It’s one of those challenges that because he hasn’t run from a distance and jumped, the referee probably gave him the benefit of the doubt,” he said. “But seeing it now it’s a red card, without a doubt.”
Had Jorginho received the red in the 28th minute instead of a yellow, Chelsea may have found themselves in a difficult situation regardless of whether or not they deserved a penalty for Mina’s grab on Morata.