Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was furious after Premier League history was made with the decision not to send off David Brooks for his challenge on Marc Cucurella during the Blues' 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
Bournemouth were fortunate not to lose Brooks to a red card in the second half for what appeared to be a hair-pulling on Marc Cucurella, an on-pitch VAR review sparing the winger.
Referee Robert Jones was sent to the monitor by VAR official Graham Scott to review the incident and consider a red card for Brooks for violent conduct.
But Jones decided – somewhat surprisingly – to stick to his original decision on the pitch, which was no red card, and instead warn Brooks.
The incident marks the first time in Premier League history that a referee has dismissed a red card after being sent to the pitch monitor for a second look by VAR.
It was also the first rejection of a VAR monitor this season.
Managers disagree on the clash between Brooks and Cucurella
“I've often said to me: if the intention is not to get the ball, it's red,” Maresca said. 'They have to explain it [it]. If they give a yellow signal, that means something has happened.
“So, how can they judge that it wasn't dangerous? You cannot judge that it was not dangerous.
“The intention was just to go against Marc Cucurella. I think it is red. Hopefully we can have more luck with the referee in the future.”
Speaking about the incident, Chelsea captain Reece James added: “When the referee is looking at the monitor it is never a good sign.
“There are positive sides to the game, but there are also negative sides. It's mixed emotions.”
The Premier League Match Center revealed during the match that referee Jones ruled that Brooks' actions had been reckless but not violent, and therefore there was no sending off.
A statement said: “The VAR recommended an on-field review for Brooks for a possible red card for violent conduct. After review, the referee ruled that the challenge against Cucurella was a reckless action and not violent conduct – and gave Brooks a yellow card. .”
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola had a different view on the incident than Maresca, arguing that Jones was right to let Brooks off with a warning.
“I don't understand why VAR asked the referee to take a look,” he said.
“There was no violence used, I think it's a clear yellow card. For me, Brooks never wants to do anything other than stop the counter.” [attack].
“If you think about how Chelsea played and we played, I don't think we deserved to win. I don't think we were better than Chelsea.”
Maresca happy for Reece James after the fit captain scores a late leveler
Meanwhile, Maresca said Chelsea captain James deserved his moment after his free-kick saved a point in the fifth minute of stoppage time against Bournemouth.
The captain continued his comeback from a hamstring injury as a second-half substitute, firing home at the death to make it 2-2, but Maresca nevertheless saw his side's winless run in the Premier League extended to five competitions.
It was James' first league goal since equalizing against Tottenham in August 2022, marking his first return to the side in a league match since November.
“He deserved it after a difficult moment and it gave us the point,” Maresca said.
“I'm happy for him and happy for us. The goal for him now is to try to stay fit until the end [of the season] and he's going to help us with the way we want to play.”
'One of our best halves of the season'
Chelsea had plenty of chances in the first half to finish off Bournemouth, with Nicolas Jackson being blamed for denying the best of them.
Before that, he had set up the opening goal for Cole Palmer, escaping three Bournemouth players with an intelligent turn of the ball before producing the perfect pass for Chelsea's top scorer to run on and head home.
The Senegal forward then hit a post and later shot over from six yards, with the goal gaping.
Bournemouth took full advantage of Jackson's debauchery in the second half and leveled through Justin Kluivert's penalty before Antoine Semenyo made it 2-1. He beat young defender Josh Acheampong and then sent a rocket into Robert Sanchez's near post.
James' late intervention saved Chelsea, but their winless run in the league continued.
“Probably one of our best first halves of the season. The way we played on the ball and off the ball we created so many chances,” Maresca said.
“The first half should end with a different score. I think we deserved at least 2-0. The second half after the penalty changed the game completely. We dropped a bit and we have to understand the reason why.”
“The feeling is a bit of a shame. When you play like that in the first half, you have to be clinical. The match was completely, one hundred percent under control.”
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