Chelsea have been handed a fresh Dejan Kulusevski red card verdict after his late challenge on Romeo Lavia in the win against Tottenham. During the late stages of the first half of the Blues' stunning 4-3 victory, Kulusevski was penalised for a foul on the Blues midfielder, but it looked as though minimal contact was made.
Replays however, showed the Sweden international clipped Lavia with his elbow and he later showed the impact made in an image uploaded to social media after the game. On Instagram, followers were shown a gash on the back of his head that came from the foul.
Following that, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has offered a very clear opinion, to the surprise of most, on whether or not Kulusevski should have been sent off for violent conduct.
"I heard [the VAR] say it lacked the intensity, he didn't use his arm as a weapon, he didn't draw it back," he admitted on Sky Sports' Ref Watch.
"The question you'd ask is why he has his arm up like that. Why's he running like that? It's a dilemma. I heard the VAR say he's got his arm up, but he doesn't draw it back, he doesn't use it as a weapon. It doesn't have the intensity, as you say, the buzz-word now.
"That was their reason - when you look at where [the referee] is, and what he's seen, he was speaking to the VAR and if you look at the images now, he's looking straight at it. He sees what happens, and will know how hard he's caught him. The images will then portray what he's said.
"It lacked intensity, he didn't use it as a weapon, he didn't draw his arm back. the question is why is his arm up there and why is he running like that, that is the dilemma."
Stephen Warnock was quick to question Gallagher's verdict however, with the former Premier League footballer of the belief it should have been a sending off. He said: "Is that a natural position to run with? If I'm running full pelt, and you're talking about intensity, that's already in the run.
"It doesn't need to move, the arm, the speed you're running at. From a short distance, I'd have to throw an elbow up to physically use it.
"But if I take a run-up, and my arm is already up, and I hit you from a distance, that force has built up. Whether you've cocked your arm up or you've used the force of the speed of running in, it's going to cause damage. I don't understand how it can't be deemed as aggressive and foul play."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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