Anthony Taylor explains five reasons for his errors during the #Manchester City Vs Chelsea game and apologizes to the Chelsea supporters, saying “It was not my decision.”
The denial of what Chelsea believed to be a clear-cut penalty on August 18 infuriated both the team and its supporters.
The Blues’ opening match of the 2024–2025 season took place at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City.
In the eighteenth minute, Erling Haaland scored his first goal of the season with a long ball over Robert Sanchez.
As the game progressed, Chelsea gained momentum, and Enzo Maresca sought to establish an early lead in his first competitive match as manager.
Mateo Kovacic’s Chelsea handball incident
Enzo Fernandez led the West Londoners’ feeble attempts to get penalties, but referee Anthony Taylor refused to give in.
When a fumbling Matteo Kovacic arm collided with an attempted Malo Gusto pass in the second half, they let out their loudest cheer. Chelsea players and the home crowd protested, but Taylor once again refused to award a spot-kick.
Why Kovacic’s handball did not result in a penalty for Chelsea
The ball appeared to have caught the Croat’s underarm in the replays, which led to an investigation of the football regulations. IFAB Law 12 discusses the definition of a handball. One sentence reads,
“Any player who touches the ball with their hand or arm after it has caused their body to become abnormally larger will be guilty of an infraction. When a player’s hand or arm posture is not a result of, or justified by, their body movement for that particular scenario, it is deemed that the player has unnaturally enlarged their body.”
Even if Kovacic’s arm was not in the right place, Gusto’s closeness to the goal kept the former Chelsea star alive. The referee has the authority to apply the proximity law, which determines if the player had enough time to raise his arms into a natural posture prior to the ball striking his arm.
“A Premier League statement states that when referees decide whether or not to award a handball, they will nevertheless take into account the player’s proximity to the ball’s point of strike.”
When he scored Manchester City’s second goal shortly after, Kovacic inflicted further damage on Chelsea as City got off to a bright start in their championship defense.
