Chelsea defender questioned the absence of a VAR check for a penalty incident against Manchester United in the Premier League clash.
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta thinks that his side deserved to get a spot-kick after his tussle with Harry Maguire. Moreover, the Blues defender mentioned that VAR should have taken a look at the incident against Manchester United.
Azpilicueta evidently was a victim to manhandling by Maguire during a Chelsea corner kick. The England international dragged the Spaniard on the ground while jumping for the ball.
Furthermore, ex-United star Patrice Evra compared the Maguire’s moment to Hulk Hogan in a joking way.
The match referee however decided to let the play move forward. Consequently, the Premier League fixture ended up in a goalless draw.
After the end of the tough fixture, Azpilicueta talked about the foul play at the post-match interview.
“A good question, on the pitch I felt yes and I felt arms around my neck and shoulders,” he told Sky Sports.
“The referee can make the decision, the VAR is there [to help]. In any situation, the referee takes the main decisions and the monitor is there for him to help.
“It was 50-50 so why not take 20 seconds to review it? I think VAR can improve a lot. It happens, it is football, I don’t say every time there is contact there should be a penalty.
“In England, there is strong physical contact. In football and in the Premier League always we should seek improvement – it is not a criticism, we can all help together to make a better league.”
Mendy to the rescue.
Additionally, Chelsea’s massive summer signings could not hassle United’s defense at Old Trafford. Similarly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side did not achieve a great result following a few missed opportunities.
Though, the Red Devils tested Eduoard Mendy in the Chelsea goalpost. Marcus Rashford was denied by Frank Lampard’s new goalkeeper to save the Blues from losing the game.
And, Azpilicueta admitted that his team should have performed better.
“I have the feeling we could have done more. We found spaces but we didn’t create the last pass or pick the right pass or make the right decisions,” he said.
“We defended solid and they have at the end one save by Edouard and in the first half one mistake by us, but we could do more.
“For moments we had spells. In the first half we controlled better but in the second half sometimes we rushed it and didn’t move the ball good enough.
“We lost possession too easily which meant we lost some control but we showed solidity and it was a great effort from everybody. Obviously, we want more.”
He added: “We have a long season to go and hopefully we can keep improving. We have the quality to do it.”
Chelsea will play against Krasnodar the next week in the second group stage match of the Champions League.
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