Chelsea wanted a penalty in the second half of their Premier League clash with Aston Villa for a claimed handball by their former player, Ian Maatsen.
18:58, 27 Dec 2025Updated 19:20, 27 Dec 2025
Pedro Neto battling with Ian Maatsen.
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Chelsea were denied a penalty shout in their game with Aston Villa.(Image: Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)
Chelsea have instantly learned why they did not get a penalty in their Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Saturday evening. The Blues were taking on Villa at Stamford Bridge as they looked to claim a vital three points.
Joao Pedro opened the scoring for Chelsea to give Enzo Maresca's side a 1-0 lead going into half-time.
Chelsea then appealed for a penalty for a potential handball by Villa defender and former Blues star Ian Maatsen.
On-field referee Stuart Attwell did not award a penalty on the field, however, and the decision was checked and cleared by VAR, with the final decision being not to award a spot-kick to Chelsea.
Soon after, the Premier League clarified why the decision of no penalty was confirmed by VAR.
"The referee's call of no penalty to Chelsea was checked and confirmed by VAR - with it deemed that Maatsen's arm was in a justifiable position," wrote the Premier League's post on X by their Match Centre account.
Maatsen was previously on the books at Chelsea, of course, before going on to join Villa on a permanent deal in the summer of 2024, which came after he enjoyed a loan spell with German giants Borussia Dortmund, where he reached the Champions League final.
Chelsea would go on to push for a second goal against Villa, but would be handed a blow in the game after Ollie Watkins equalised for the visitors, before scoring again in the closing stages.
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Maresca's side went into the contest looking to claim all three points - and bounce back from their 2-2 draw with Newcastle United last week.
Due to Liverpool's win over Wolves earlier in the day, Chelsea went into the match in fifth place and three points behind the reigning champions.
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