Arsenal fans are making fun of Moises Caicedo after he got a straight red card in the 38th minute of Chelsea’s heated game against the Gunners. Referee Anthony Taylor sent off the Ecuadorian international after he made a terrible tackle on Mikel Merino, leaving his team with only 10 players for most of the London derby.
Late in the first half, Caicedo stomped on Merino’s shin with a high kick, which seemed to hurt him in the process. At first, Taylor held up a yellow card until the Chelsea star got back on his feet. However, VAR stepped in right away and told the referee to look at the pitch-side monitor because the tackle was so dangerous.
After a quick look, Taylor went back to the field and gave the punishment a straight red card because the player had used too much force and could have hurt Merino badly.
A number of Arsenal fans agreed with the decision and mocked Caicedo on social media platform X with comments like these:
“He knew a red card was coming then pretended to be injured. Such a dirty player Caicedo.”
“The pressure to be better than rice was too much for him. He needs to stick to small matches 😂😂😂”
“It’s your so-called best DM in the world 🤣🤣🤣. Talent alone is not enough; you need the brain as well.”
“Chelsea fans told us Caicedo was better than Rice. Arsenal fans call him a shin kicker. Now tell us which fanbase is lying.”
“Caicedo pretending he was the victim and he was injured is absolutely psychotic behaviour..😭😭”
Moises Caicedo Signed a New Contract With Chelsea Ahead of Arsenal Clash
The timing of the red card is terrible for Caicedo because he had just agreed to a new long-term deal with the club after playing very well. Before this happened, the midfielder had played 130 Premier League games without getting a red card. Just a few days before, he had talked about how much he loved Chelsea.
During his renewal interview, Caicedo said he was very happy with life at Stamford Bridge and called his time at the club a “dream come true.”
He told the official media team for the club:
“It’s a great feeling [playing for Chelsea]. You always prepare for this moment and now you are here at Stamford Bridge with your fans and winning games. You are helping the team and it’s amazing – sometimes I go home and just smile.”
Caicedo also talked about how well he gets along with head coach Enzo Maresca, saying:
“I think he [Maresca] is happy with me because I always try to show him I want to help the team. He can see that in every game. I’m happy working with him, he is helping us a lot.”