BritishCoach Mauricio Pochettino was angry when VAR rejected the deciding goal in the sixth minute of injury time, causing Chelsea to be held to a 2-2 draw at Aston Villa in round 35 of the Premier League.
In the final minute of compensation, Benoit Badiashile argued with Diego Carlos and then passed to Axel Disasi who headed close and hit the roof of Aston Villa's net. The entire Chelsea team ran wild with joy because they thought they had just achieved an emotional victory.
But after going to the touchline to consult VAR, referee Craig Pawson determined that Badiashile committed a pushing foul on Carlos and denied Chelsea's goal. After the final whistle at Villa Park, Noni Madueke and many Chelsea players rushed to Pawson and reacted harshly. Madueke allegedly said “Wrong decision, and you know it” and pointed at Pawson.
Chelsea and Aston Villa players wait for VAR to check for a foul after Axel Diasi headed the ball into Villa's net in the injury time of round 35 of the Premier League at Villa Park on April 27. Photo: AFP
Disasi tried to calm Madueke down, and pushed his teammates out of the way. However, Pawson gave Madueke a yellow card warning before talking to Cole Palmer.
On BBC Sport Later, when asked about the situation where Chelsea were denied a goal, Madueke replied: “Do I think that goal was valid? Have. Shouldn't Chelsea have three points? That's right. There is nothing else to say about this situation."
Pochettino was also angry with VAR and criticized the referees for their "unbelievable, unacceptable and ridiculous" way of working. The Argentine coach reiterated that the referee did not go to the sideline to review the video in the situation where Jack Grealish touched the ball with his hand in the penalty area, when Chelsea lost 0-1 to Man City in the FA Cup semi-finals on April 20.
“It's painful because VAR has ruined English football and I think Aston Villa players and their fans don't understand why the goal was not recognized,” Pochettino continued. “They said it was a foul. If that were the case then every tackle would have been a mistake and we wouldn't have finished the match with 11 men. We can talk about performances or decisions, but VAR is spoiling the game."
Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino reacts during an English Premier League match. Image: AP
At Villa Park on the evening of April 27, the host led 4-2 in the first half thanks to Morgan Rogers and an own goal from Marc Cucurella. In the second half, Madueke and Conor Gallagher scored respectively to help Chelsea equalize. With this result, Chelsea stayed in ninth place with 0 points, six points away from Man Utd's sixth place but played one match less, and still has a chance to attend the European Cup next season.
“I'm still calm,” Pochettino said. “We played well, even though we easily conceded in the first half. Aston Villa is competing for the Champions League and today is an opportunity to test against a strong club. We will continue even though the focus will still be on the goal being denied."
Hong Duy
