After Chelsea’s disheartening 4-1 defeat against Liverpool on Wednesday, Mauricio Pochettino found himself compelled to criticize both his team’s lackluster performance and the decisions made by the referees. The match saw Chelsea being denied two penalty claims, adding frustration to an already dismal first half for the Blues.
While Ben Chilwell was rightfully booked for diving before halftime, referee Paul Tierney failed to penalize Virgil van Dijk for a challenge on Conor Gallagher earlier in the game.
Despite VAR reviewing the incident, Van Dijk’s knee made contact with Gallagher just outside the six-yard line, raising questions about the officiating decisions.
Football pundit Joe Cole expressed his views on the matter, suggesting that Liverpool was fortunate to escape the decision. Cole, a former player for both Chelsea and Liverpool, remarked, “Sterling goes into the box and Gallagher takes a lovely touch and Van Dijk just squares himself off, and I think he just leans into him there.” He considered it a penalty and criticized the referee’s lack of courage in the first ten minutes in front of the Kop.
The scoring began with Diogo Jota capitalizing on Chelsea’s overall lack of effort. Connor Bradley doubled the lead before Darwin Nunez had the chance to make it 3-0 from the penalty spot. Tierney gave Liverpool the benefit of the doubt regarding Benoit Badiashile’s apparent foul on Jota.
Rio Ferdinand acknowledged the contentious decision, stating, “It’s a great ball from Joe Gomez, and then you see it in slow motion, he steps on his foot, and with VAR, you get those decisions.” However, Ferdinand criticized Chelsea for their carelessness, expecting them to respond with a goal, but Nunez failed to deliver.
Nunez’s penalty hit the post, one of four times he struck the woodwork instead of the net. Pochettino’s situation worsened in the second half as Dominik Szoboszlai’s header sealed Liverpool’s victory.
Christopher Nkunku provided some solace for Chelsea, and when he seemed to be fouled inside the box shortly afterward, hopes of narrowing the gap emerged. Ally McCoist questioned whether Van Dijk had kicked through Nkunku, asserting it was a penalty. However, despite Pochettino’s frustration, nothing came of it, leading to heated protests from the Chelsea bench.
McCoist acknowledged that Chelsea faced rough decisions from the referees but conceded that Liverpool deserved the victory. The outcome places Pochettino’s team in the middle of the standings, jeopardizing their chance to finish eighth as they now face the possibility of dropping into the bottom half. With six losses in their last seven away games, Chelsea’s recent struggles cast a shadow over their league position and raise concerns about their form on the road.
