Arsenal, the Premier League leaders, were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Chelsea, despite being down to 10 men after Moises Caicedo’s red card in the first
half, took the lead through Trevoh Chalobah in the 48th minute. However, Mikel Merino levelled the score for the Gunners in the 59th minute.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca questioned the variance in refereeing decisions, recalling Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur’s elbow on skipper Reece James in November, which was only shown a yellow card, in contrast to the case of Caicedo.
“Moises is a red card, but why Bentancur against Reece was not?” the Italian said.
“As managers we try to understand why they judge in different ways. We struggle to understand,” he revealed.
“Trev one, I asked the referee, he said it was not an elbow. They judge in different ways. He has a black eye, he was with ice at half-time,” the 45-year-old said.
With this result, Arsenal extended their lead to five points over second-placed Manchester City and remained six points ahead of third-placed Chelsea. Aston Villa climbed to fourth place with 24 points after Boubacar Kamara’s solo goal secured a 1-0 win against Wolves. Brighton, who also won away at Nottingham, are two points behind Villa in fifth place.
Newly promoted Sunderland are in sixth place, level on points with Brighton but trailing on goal difference. Manchester United, also with 21 points, sit seventh following their come-from-behind victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
