Chelsea and Pedro Neto were adamant that they should have had a penalty in their Premier League game against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Enzo Maresca’s side took the lead in the first half through Joao Pedro, who knew nothing about his goal.
Villa were able to equalise after the restart thanks to substitute Ollie Watkins, but not before Chelsea’s penalty claim.
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Chelsea lose to Aston Villa
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Neto was adamant that Ian Maatsen had handled the ball after it was delivered into the box, but nothing was given.
Pedro Neto of Chelsea reacts
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Ian Maatsen’s arm in ‘justifiable position’
Looking at replays of the incident, there is no denying that the ball hit Maatsen’s arm, preventing Neto from getting to it.
However, according to the Premier League, the Villa defender’s arm was in a “justifiable position”, which is why the VAR did not recommend a review of the incident.
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“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.”
Premier League Match Centre on why Chelsea were not awarded a penalty in Aston Villa defeat
Pedro Neto of Chelsea is challenged by Ian Maatsen of Aston Villa
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Maresca would have been frustrated as he watched on from the stands following his touchline ban, but he only has his team to blame.
Chelsea dominated the game and had plenty of opportunities to score before Villa’s equaliser and Watkins’ second goal but failed to take them.
Before the match, a lot was being said about Morgan Rogers. Chelsea fans had been questioning the club’s sporting directors for not signing the attacking midfielder.
In the end, though, it was Watkins who stole the show with his second-half brace.
Chelsea v Aston Villa - Premier League
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How many penalties have Chelsea received this season?
Chelsea have not been handed too many penalties in the current Premier League campaign.
In fact, the Club World Cup winners have only been awarded one, which came in their 2-0 victory over Fulham all the way back in August.
In contrast, another of their west London rivals, Brentford, have received seven. No team in the Premier League have had more spot-kicks this term.
Chelsea do not need penalties to win games, though. You only have to look at all of the chances that they created against Villa to know that. Unfortunately, they were just not clinical enough.
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