Superstitious Chelsea supporters on social media had a bad feeling about the upcoming Brentford clash thanks to a specific update.
It was confirmed yesterday that Anthony Taylor will be the man in the middle for Saturday’s London derby between the Blues and the Bees.
Anthony on show again
Thomas Tuchel’s team have failed to win the last five fixtures with Taylor taking charge of proceedings.
His most recent unwanted moment in the spotlight arrived when the Blues drew with Liverpool 1-1 earlier this season.
He sent off Reece James for a very soft handball, even after checking the pitchside monitor.
This debacle caused Chelsea followers to sign a petition in an attempt to prevent Taylor from refereeing their games.
Unfortunately, the pitchforks and torches failed to influence the FA’s verdict.
Taylor will be at the Brentford Community Stadium this weekend, whether the Blues like it or not.
But the fans of Tuchel’s men certainly didn’t shy away from showing their distaste towards the decision.
Here’s how they reacted on Twitter:
Taylor trauma
Chelsea enthusiasts have a decent reason for recoiling at the thought of Taylor’s installment.
The referee has become something of a Stamford Bridge villain, having made some questionable calls against the Blues over the years.
He harshly handed Mateo Kovacic a red card in the 2020 FA Cup final versus Arsenal, a tie in which Emiliano Martinez’s apparent handball outside of the area went unpunished.
Other instances of injustice towards Chelsea include Harry Maguire’s kick-out at Michy Batshuayi last February.
Before that, Alexis Sanchez’s quite blatant handball that led to a goal in the 2017 FA Cup finale (granted, VAR had not reared its head back then).
The list of Taylor troubles is long and tough reading for the Blues contingent.
Can he stay clear of the drama this weekend? We slightly suspect not…
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