Sports
Ex-PGMOL Chief Gives Take on Two Controversial Decisions
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has given his verdict on whether Chelsea’s goal during their 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal should have counted on Sunday afternoon. The Blues were reduced to 10 men early in the first half after Moises Caicedo was judged to have committed a reckless and dangerous tackle on Mikel Merino.
Despite being a man down, Enzo Maresca’s side put in extra effort to try to secure a result and remain within six points of the summit of English football. Trevoh Chalobah rose highest to head a looping ball into the back of the net for the opener (watch his goal below), before Merino’s equaliser failed to inspire Arsenal from claiming what was initially expected to be a straightforward victory.
At the time of Chalobah’s goal, no questions were raised about its legitimacy. However, as the dust settled on a cagey Stamford Bridge encounter, new camera angles suggested that one of his teammates might have interfered with play from an offside position. Hackett has since weighed in to address these fresh murmurs of controversy.
Former PGMOL Chief Casts Verdict on Chelsea Opener
The suggestion among rival supporters was that Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position, and the fact he makes a clear and obvious movement towards the ball prevents Cristhian Mosquera from clearing his lines.
This was the point made by rules expert Dale Johnson in the fallout, but Hackett has explained why that wasn’t grounds for the opener to be chalked off. He told Football Insider (watch below):
“There is a lot of debate about Enzo Fernandez and his offside position. Let us first understand law 11 of offside – you cannot be offside from a corner kick. So, as the kick is taken, Fernandez is in an offside position, but the rules allow him to stand in that position.
“As the ball comes in, Chalobah heads it in and Fernandez is still in an offside position, but he’s not interfered with the goalkeeper or any other player.”
A lot of the controversy perhaps stems from Andrew Robertson’s involvement that led to Virgil van Dijk’s goal being disallowed against Manchester City before the international break. It has naturally become a bigger talking point, but sometimes unnecessarily.
Piero Hincapie Potential Red Card Incident
Another incident that Hackett reviewed was the one that saw Piero Hincapie thrust an elbow into Chalobah and leave him with a bruised eye. The retired referee once again agreed with the on-field decision made by Anthony Taylor, telling Football Insider (see the incident below): “Let me explain what the referee is looking for as a guide between the difference between yellow and red.
“Yellow is reckless, red is violent conduct, excessive force etc. And what we look for first of all is a clinched fist, a bent elbow and backward movement. And we know then the elbow and the arm is being used as a weapon. In this situation, I felt rightly that this was worthy of a yellow card and not a red, and they got that one right like they got the red card right.”
The Gunners have been fortunate to keep all 11 players on the pitch, but their tally of six yellow cards compared to Chelsea’s one has since earnt them a £25,000 fine from the FA, as they have shot up in the rankings of Premier League sides with the most bookings in the 2025/26 season so far, having previously been at the bottom of the pile.
