Chelsea have been told Wesley Fofana was lucky not to be sent off during the Premier League defeat to Arsenal. Deployed at right-back once again, the France international committed several fouls but his yellow card actually came from delaying the restart.
Though that caution arrived early into the second period, Fofana continued to live dangerously with Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard both upended by the Blues defender. Enzo Maresca opted to wait until the 86th minute before subbing him off as Chelsea searched for an equaliser after Mikel Merino's early header.
Despite only one goal being scored, the London derby was filled with talking points. A Marc Cucurella handball saw the Gunners appeal for a penalty but referee John Brooks waved those away while VAR checked a possible Thomas Partey red card for a foul on Enzo Fernandez.
However, it was Fofana involved in the biggest controversy after making four fouls in the clash with the offence on Trossard more often than not resulting in a yellow card and now ex-Premier League referee Jeff Winter has provided his verdict.
"As for the Fofana incident, he stood on a player who was lying on the floor and escaped punishment," he told Grosvenor Sport. "To be quite honest, I thought he was very lucky because it appeared that he knew exactly what he was doing.
"There was no force—he just sort of placed his foot on Rice—but you could tell by the look on his face that it was deliberate. We can see that on television, but maybe the referee didn’t.
"So, I do think Fofana was lucky to avoid further action. There were moments in this game where things got quite fraught, and sometimes the referee just tries to keep the lid on it. With a different referee, there might have been a few more cards."
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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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