Mark Halsey, a former Premier League referee, has issued his conclusion on the decision not to give Chelsea a penalty against Manchester United.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca believes his side should have been awarded a first-half penalty after Joao Pedro was brought down inside the box by Noussair Mazraoui. The Italian was stunned on the touchline when referee Peter Banks permitted play to continue.
According to BBC Sport, Maresca told reporters after the game, “[We should have had] a penalty for Joao.”
Social media footage has since gone viral, with Chelsea fans becoming even more adamant that a penalty should have been awarded once a new viewpoint appeared. Watch the video below.
Mark Halsey’s Verdict on Potential Penalty Incident
When the incident was shown live on Sky Sports, co-commentator Alan Smith responded, “No, not enough in that.”
Halsey, one of the Premier League’s most famous referees in the 2000s, has now issued his conclusion on the incident after watching the tape. The 64-year-old informed The Sun:
“Peter Banks has got that one absolutely correct. “Not a penalty for me.”
Mark Halsey on Sanchez and Casemiro red cards
Halsey also examined the red cards given to Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez and Manchester United’s Casemiro, who were sent out in the fifth and 45th minute, respectively. Sanchez received a straight red card for a tackle on Bryan Mbuemo, while Casemiro was sent off at halftime after receiving two yellow cards.
On Sanchez’s red card, Halsey said: “Referee Peter Banks was absolutely correct in issuing a red card to the Chelsea custodian for denying a goalscoring opportunity.”
Halsey also commented on Casemiro’s red card: “Casemiro received two yellow cards.” First, a challenge to Enzo, which is clearly reckless. Then, in first half added time, he received a second yellow card for a holding offence against [Andrey] Santos, which I believe was the proper judgement by referee Peter Banks.
“We had no choice but to dismiss Casemiro for two yellow cards. For me, Casemiro was dumb; there was no need to make that challenge, especially when you’re on a yellow card.”
Manchester United won all three points thanks to first-half goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. Trevor Chalobah’s 80th-minute goal set up a nerve-racking conclusion for the Old Trafford faithful, but the home side held on to relieve some of the pressure on manager Ruben Amorim, who has been encouraged by fans to drop one of his starting players.
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