Chelsea’s discipline issues rose to the surface again on Sunday afternoon as Liam Rosenior’s side finished with 10 men at Arsenal, and the referee picked for Aston Villa has shown Chelsea a red, too.
Pedro Neto only has himself to blame. Initially shown a yellow card for his prolonged arguing after Arsenal scored a second goal, which would turn out to be the winner, he was then shown a second.
A stupid tackle on Gabriel Martinelli, which prompted Chris Sutton to describe Neto as an “idiot”. For a player who has garnered criticism under Rosenior, Neto looked as though he had turned a corner.
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His hat-trick at Hull showed promise, but this was another setback. Chelsea now have seven red cards in the Premier League, miles more than anyone else, and only two off the Premier League record.
Already, focus has switched to Wednesday night with Rosenior already holding his press conference for the trip to Aston Villa, and the Premier League have picked the referee who will officiate the game.
Malo Gusto won’t like to see the sight of Jarred Gillett
The last thing Rosenior needs is another Chelsea red card when the Blues go to Villa. He will want it to avoid having to talk about it in press conferences, but also because the trip to Villa is a massive game.
Chelsea FC v Aston Villa - Premier League
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Rosenior and Chelsea’s hopes of a top-five finish could hinge on this game. Reece James’ fitness is also a question mark having played 90 minutes on Sunday. It might be that Malo Gusto replaces James.
Gillett has refereed 11 Chelsea games and only sent one Blues player off, Gusto. The £26m man was shown a red card, typically against Villa, back in September 2023 with Mauricio Pochettino in charge.
Is another red card on the horizon? 😡
Jarred Gillett sent Malo Gusto off vs Aston Villa in 2023
Jarred Gillett’s record during his 11 Chelsea matches
Gillett first refereed a Chelsea game in the FA Cup, a January 2022 clash against Chesterfield that the Blues won 5-1. Indeed, the Blues have only lost two of their 11 games under the Aussie, Villa being one.
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Villa on the day Gusto was shown a red card. Enzo Maresca’s side were knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton with Gillett in the middle last season, the result reading 2-1.
Gillett was the man with the whistle when Chelsea beat Man United 4-3 under Pochettino in April 2024, while the Blues have had him twice this season – 1-0 at Spurs, and the 3-1 win at Wolves last month.
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