Thomas Tuchel was furious after last night’s game that Chelsea weren’t given a penalty for Joel Veltman’s block on Christian Pulisic in the box, and according to former Premier League referee Mark Halsey, he may have had a point.
Writing in his regular column on Caughtoffside, Halsey admitted that Chelsea probably should have had a spot kick after the defender hung a lazy leg out and caught Pulisic across the knee.
He went down and everyone screamed for it, but Mike Dean wasn’t interested, and it wasn’t so obvious that VAR could overturn his call.
“It was definitely a penalty, for me. If Dean had given it, there is no way VAR would have recommended he change his decision,” Halsey wrote.
Thomas Tuchel believes this should've been a penalty for Chelsea after Christian Pulisic went down in the box. https://t.co/M26Joi5ODC pic.twitter.com/WhXjW84vbT
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) December 29, 2021
It was always a tight call, but to be honest it would have been soft (although probably correct) to give it, and there’s no way VAR were going back on it.
The handball that the same player committed later was a far more blatant infringement.
English football owners when they decide nothing you will do. But what surprice me is that when player done wrong ref or FA reacted against him. But ref like dean done wrong English FA done nothing about it. MY question is why VAR didn’t call replay of the val?