Mauricio Pochettino questioned referee Paul Tierney’s decision when Conor Gallagher appeared to have been tripped by Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk early in the match at Anfield. Chelsea legend Joe Cole accused referee Paul Tierney of bottling a crucial decision during the Blues’ trip to Anfield to face league leaders Liverpool.
Conor Gallagher appeared to be caught early on by Reds defender Virgil van Dijk as he entered the penalty area. The Britain worldwide tumbled to the ground before he could have a chance away, yet Tierney dopted against highlighting the spot – doubtlessly stirring up a lot of consternation for Mauricio Pochettino and the remainder of the Chelsea crew.
Cole surely considered it a punishment and pursued his sentiments on the choice completely clear while covering the conflict for dynamite Game He guaranteed: “[ Raheem] Sterling enters the box, Gallagher gives him a nice touch, and [Virgil] Van Dijk just squares off, I believe leaning into him there. As far as I might be concerned, that is a punishment. Before the Kop in the initial 10 minutes, I think the official has not been daring there.”
To compound an already painful situation according to a Chelsea viewpoint, there were more questionable punishment choices before the first-half was up. Ben Chilwell, a fullback for the Blues, received a yellow card for diving after falling to the ground despite receiving only light contact from Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool.
The Reds were then given a penalty of their own just before halftime. Benoit Badashille was considered to have gotten the foot of Diogo Jota, scorer of Liverpool’s most memorable objective.
Darwin Nunez moved forward to take it, yet could crush his work against the upstanding regardless of sending Blues goalkeeper Djorde Petrovic the incorrect way.
Conor Bradley, a graduate of the Liverpool academy, scored his first goal for the club in front of the Anfield crowd to give the hosts a 2-0 lead before that decision was made. The score reflected Chelsea’s second-best performance throughout the first half.