Keith Hackett: Chelsea star should’ve been sent off for controversial incident vs Leeds
Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett believes that Chelsea’s Estevao was lucky to get away with just a yellow card after a rash challenge on Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Leeds beat title-chasing Chelsea 3-1 in a crunch match for both sides at Elland Road on Wednesday, but the Whites knew they could cause an upset.
Daniel Farke‘s side went into the break 2-0 up, but were aggrieved to have not had a man advantage after 45 minutes.
Leeds are up against the prospect of Premier League relegation, and every small incident matters for the Whites.
Keith Hackett says Estevao ‘deliberately’ kicked Leeds man
Ahead of the game, Farke was under serious pressure to deliver a result, and the German decided to switch to a five-at-the-back formation.
This saw Gudmundsson pushed up the field into a left-wing back role, where he contested with Estevao for the full first half.
Gudmundsson dispossessed Estevao before the latter kicked the back of the defender’s heels when he was running away with the ball, and the Peacock Army chanted for his dismissal.
While speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News, Hackett explained why the Brazilian teenager should have been sent off.
Hackett said: “Chelsea’s Estevao was rather fortunate to escape a red card after taking a deliberate kick at a Leeds United player who had the ball running away from the player.
“Referee Darren England took a more lenient view and immediately produced a yellow to diffuse a potential confrontation.”
Leeds dominated Chelsea in the first half, stats prove it
Leeds haven’t had luck go their way for most of the season so far, and that continued versus the Blues.
Despite Darren England’s controversial decision, Leeds still outplayed Chelsea’s mega-money side in the first half and thoroughly deserved the lead.
Leeds’ first-half stats against Chelsea:
- Leeds had 10 shots
- They had a 71% pass accuracy
- Leeds accumulated 0.60 xG to Chelsea’s 0.51
With uncertainty still over Farke’s future at LS11, there is a strong argument that parts of the performances against Chelsea and Manchester City recently are enough to convince the 49ers to keep him.
Time will tell, but what’s sure is that the Whites were done over once again at Elland Road in this one.
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