Premier League release two Chelsea VAR statements during incident-packed Leicester City win
Premier League Issues Two VAR Statements in Chelsea’s Eventful 2-1 Win Over Leicester City
Chelsea continued their push for Champions League qualification with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. Goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez secured the three points, keeping the Blues third in the Premier League, just one point behind second-placed Manchester City and six points off league leaders Liverpool.
However, the match was marked by several contentious moments, prompting two official VAR statements from the Premier League.
First VAR Statement: Noni Madueke’s Disallowed Goal
Chelsea thought they had doubled their lead in the first half when Noni Madueke found the back of the net. However, celebrations were short-lived as VAR determined Marc Cucurella was offside in the build-up.
The Premier League explained:
“The referee’s call of no goal was checked and confirmed by the VAR as the Spaniard was in an offside position in the build-up.”
Second VAR Statement: Leicester’s Late Penalty
Deep into stoppage time, Leicester were awarded a penalty after Bobby De Cordova-Reid was brought down in the box by Chelsea’s Romeo Lavia. Initially, the assistant referee flagged for offside in the build-up, but VAR intervened and overruled the decision.
The Premier League clarified:
“The on-field decision was offside following a challenge in the penalty area by Lavia on De Cordova-Reid. The referee was going to award a penalty kick, which was overruled by the decision of offside. The VAR checked and confirmed that De Cordova-Reid was in an onside position and also confirmed the referee’s call of penalty kick.”
Jordan Ayew converted the penalty, denying Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez a clean sheet.
Other Key Moments
•Wilfred Ndidi’s Challenge: The Leicester midfielder escaped a red card for a reckless lunge on Cole Palmer. Football.london reported that VAR deemed the challenge to lack sufficient intensity for a sending-off.
•Leicester’s Denied Penalty: Stephy Mavididi’s appeal for a spot-kick after a coming together with Wesley Fofana was dismissed. VAR reviewed the incident and agreed with the on-field decision that no foul occurred.
•Managerial Tensions: Leicester manager Steve Cooper was shown a yellow card for protesting the decision not to award a penalty for Mavididi.
What’s Next for Chelsea?
Chelsea will now shift focus to their Europa Conference League clash against Heidenheim in Germany before hosting Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. With their strong form, the Blues remain in the hunt for Champions League qualification and possibly an unexpected title challenge.
For Leicester, the defeat leaves them precariously close to the relegation zone, increasing the pressure on manager Steve Cooper to turn things around.
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