Graham Potter admits Chelsea player could have been sent off vs Crystal Palace

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Chelsea manager Graham Potter admitted Thiago Silva could have been sent off in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Blues were a goal down at that point and looked close to being a man down after Silva deliberately struck the ball with his hand as Jordan Ayew looked to have won the possession in a dangerous area.

Referee Chris Kavanagh showed the Brazil international the yellow card for a deliberate handball, but had to consult VAR to confirm whether it was a denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity or, in other words, a red card offence.

Fortunately for Silva, he got to stay on the pitch and even assisted Aubameyang for the equaliser just five minutes after.

Palace were understandably not happy. Patrick Vieira was even shown a yellow card for remonstrating with the referee for the decision.

Potter admits Silva could have been sent off

After the game, Blues boss Potter admitted that Silva was very lucky to escape with a yellow card.

“I thought it was touch and go,” the Chelsea manager said about Silva’s handball (via BBC).

“The fact he was quite far from the goal saved him, and it could’ve gone the other way.

“It’s a close one, I can understand Patrick’s [Vieira] frustration. It’s a 50-50 one.”

It got even worse for the home side after Conor Gallagher, who won their last player of the season award as a loanee, secured the win for Chelsea in the last minutes of the game with a stunning strike. Even Blues legend John Terry was quite impressed by the goal.

Potter also praised his players after the comeback.

“We had to survive moments as they are a good side with dangerous players,” he explained.

“To be a goal down and come away with three points is fantastic so credit to the players.”

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