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.”
Chelsea players and fans were incensed after being denied what they believed to be a clear penalty on August 18.
The Blues hosted Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in their opening game of the 2024/2025 season.
In the 18th minute, Erling Haaland lobbed the ball over Robert Sanchez for his first goal of the season.
Chelsea gained confidence as the game progressed, with Enzo Maresca hoping to secure an early lead in his first competitive game in command.
Mateo Kovacic’s handball incident against Chelsea.
The West Londoners made half-hearted penalty claims, primarily from Enzo Fernandez, but referee Anthony Taylor stayed firm.
Their loudest yell occurred in the second half, when an attempted Malo Gusto pass collided with a flailing Matteo Kovacic arm. Despite protestations from the home fans and Chelsea players, Taylor once again refused to grant a spot kick.
Why were Chelsea denied a penalty for Kovacic’s handball?
The footage showed the ball catching the Croat’s underarm, sparking an examination into football regulations. IFAB Law 12 addresses what defines a handball. One clause states,
“It will be deemed an offense if a player touches the ball with their hand/arm when their body has grown unreasonably large. A player is judged to have grown their body unnaturally larger if the location of their hand/arm is not a result of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific scenario.
Kovacic’s arm was not in a natural posture, but the proximity of Gusto’s shot rescued him. The proximity law, which is up to the referee’s discretion, considers whether the player had enough time to place his arms in a natural posture before the ball struck his arm.
“The proximity of the player whose hand or arm makes touch with the ball to where the ball was struck will continue to be an essential criterion for referees when deciding whether or not to award handball,” says a Premier League statement.
Kovacic inflicted additional anguish on Chelsea by scoring Manchester City’s second goal shortly after, as City began their championship defence in promising manner.
