Enzo Maresca and Oliver Glasner address Will Hughes red card call as Chelsea draw with Crystal Palace

Evening Standard

·1 September 2024

Enzo Maresca and Oliver Glasner address Will Hughes red card call as Chelsea draw with Crystal Palace

Eagles midfielder fortunate not to have been sent off for two yellow cards

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has called for VAR to be used for potential second yellow card offences, after Will Hughes narrowly escaped a sending off during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

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Hughes was already on a booking when he brought down Cole Palmer on the edge of the box minutes after half-time and Palace boss Oliver Glasner later admitted he made “a very big mistake” by not taking the midfielder off at half-time.

Hughes was replaced by Cheick Doucoure immediately after the incident, with Chelsea at that stage leading 1-0, but Eberechi Eze’s second-half strike earned the visitors a share of the points.

"In that moment we were 1-0 up and it was probably a second yellow card,” Maresca said. “They [would have been] with ten and the game completely changes. Also their reaction from their bench, to change him immediately, made it quite clear. But the referee saw it differently, so nothing to say.”

The incident came just 24 hours after Declan Rice was controversially sent off for two bookings in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton at the Emirates.

Will Hughes was lucky to have avoided a second yellow

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The England midfielder was booked for delaying a restart - an area on which referees are attempting to crack down this season - but replays showed Brighton defender Joel Veltman could not have taken a quick free-kick in any case since the ball was still rolling.

Asked whether VAR should be able to intervene in instances like the Hughes non-dismissal, Maresca said: “I think so, I think so.”

He added: “I think it’s the correct way. There aren’t many things to add because it was clear for all of us that it was a second yellow card and a red card. The only one thinking differently was the referee, but he’s the one that decides.”

A 1-1 draw gave Palace their first point of the season heading into the international break, with Glasner now hopeful his side can kick on and rediscover their superb form from the end of last season.

“I don't know if he was lucky but it was a very big mistake from myself,” Glasner said, when asked about the Hughes incident. “My assistant said at half time to take him off but I decided to keep him longer. I am really happy the referee didn't destroy my Sunday.

"He was a little bit late but it was not a terrible foul. I think it was a good decision for the game because otherwise there would have been many yellow cards and we want to see 11 v 11.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea will wait to check on the fitness of Malo Gusto after the full-back was forced off late on and appeared to be clutching his hamstring.

“Malo, we’ll see,” Maresca said. “It looks like a muscle problem and we’ll see.”