Rio Ferdinand is demanding answers from the officials involved in the Arsenal vs Chelsea clash, expressing disbelief that Nicolas Jackson wasn’t sent off after a rough challenge on Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Despite Chelsea’s heavy 5-0 loss to Arsenal, the incident became a focal point, especially as Jackson avoided any card for his high tackle on the Arsenal defender, with neither the referee Simon Hooper nor VAR stepping in.
Arsenal fans and players were left fuming over the non-call, but the incident didn’t affect the outcome, with Kai Havertz and Ben White each scoring twice after Leandro Trossard’s opener, while Jackson squandered two chances of his own.
With the game on a knife-edge at half-time, TNT Sports pundit Ferdinand couldn’t hide his frustration at the officials’ failure to act. “We all couldn’t believe it was not looked at by VAR,” he said.
“We couldn’t believe it. We have seen so many instances this season as bad, if not even anywhere near as bad as this. You think to yourself wow, they have been sent off and they have not even looked at it.”
The controversy surrounding the use of video technology in football has been reignited following the incidents during Everton’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest and the fallout that followed.
However, Mauricio Pochettino has thrown his support behind the forward, suggesting that injuries within the squad and his national team duties have taken their toll: “He was also involved in the Africa Cup of Nations and I think he has been doing a fantastic job for the team,” the Argentine coach expressed before last night’s game.
“We are going to give him all the support for him to be in the future calmer in front of goal and to increase the percentage of scoring goals.”
