Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher thinks Chelsea could have been awarded a penalty against Brentford on another day.
Raheem Sterling was pushed in the box by Mads Roerslev in his side’s 2-0 defeat at the weekend, but neither Simon Hooper nor the VAR thought that the Blues should have been awarded a spot kick.
But Gallagher, speaking on Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch segment, has suggested that Roerslev got away with one.
The day got a lot worse for Mauricio Pochettino’s side after both Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo went on to score and give Brentford all three points in the west London derby.
Dermot Gallagher thinks Chelsea could have had a penalty
On another day or if another referee had been in charge of the game, Gallagher thinks Roerslev may have been penalised.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Gallagher said: “What a risk to take, Rob. Why would you do that? And then to turn around and simulate something that he didn’t do. I think Stephen’s just summed it up. Different people have different levels.
“If I refereed and you refereed same day, we operate slightly differently, we see things slightly differently, our thresholds are slightly different. That was the difference there, isn’t it? Another day, another ref, might have got a penalty.”
Chelsea should have had a penalty
It was a clear push on Sterling. Honestly, it is amazing that Hooper did not give it and that the VAR did not spend more time looking at the incident.
Had Chelsea been awarded the penalty, it could have been a completely different game.
It is frustrating if you are a Chelsea fan, as that looks to be the team’s best hope of scoring at times, which is quite pitiful given how much money the club have spent recently.
Hopefully they will have a real goal source when Christopher Nkunku returns from injury, which actually could be soon, according to Pochettino.
The Frenchman was such a threat for RB Leipzig during his time there. For example, during the 2021/22 season, he scored 35 goals in 52 appearances. It is the kind of firepower Chelsea need now after another blank against Brentford.
The Blues, however, still should have had a penalty in that loss to the Bees.
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