Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca Questions Referee Consistency After Draw with Arsenal

London, England — Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca raised concerns about referee consistency following the red card received by Moisés Caicedo during their 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday. Caicedo received a controversial red card for a challenge on Mikel Merino in the first half.

Although Maresca agreed with the decision to dismiss Caicedo, he questioned why similar actions from players of other teams have not resulted in the same punishment. “I just want to know why Bentancur’s challenge on Reece James wasn’t a red,” Maresca said referring to a previous incident where Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham escaped without a red card after a foul against James.

“It is tough for us as coaches to understand why these decisions vary so much,” Maresca added. “Moisés’ challenge was a red card, yes, but so was Bentancur’s. Why was he not sent off?”

The match could have changed dramatically for Chelsea, who managed to hold their own despite being one player down. They took the lead with a goal from Trevoh Chalobah before Merino equalized for Arsenal with a header.

Chalobah expressed his pride in the team’s performance, noting, “We played well against the league leaders. We didn’t show fear, and we tried to win the match.” He acknowledged their disappointment in only securing a point, given their performance. “Even with 10 men, we dealt well with them,” he stated.

Throughout the game, Maresca and the Chelsea players were also frustrated by other refereeing decisions, particularly involving Arsenal defender Piero Hincapié, who avoided a second yellow card after a collision with Chalobah. “I asked the referee, and he said it wasn’t an elbow,” said Maresca. Chalobah left the field with a visible bruise, leaving Maresca questioning the referee’s judgement.

The match highlighted key issues in officiating consistency, a problem that has been prominent in the Premier League this season. As Maresca concluded, “We just want fair officiating that treats every incident equally.”