Moises Caicedo was affected by comparisons with Arsenal’s Declan Rice ahead of his red card against the Gunners, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said.
Caicedo received the first red card of his Chelsea career at Stamford Bridge for a dangerous challenge on Mikel Merino in the 1-1 draw. Referee Anthony Taylor initially booked Caicedo, then reviewed the incident at the VAR monitor and upgraded the decision to a red for “excessive force”.
Speaking on Super Sunday: Extra Time, Carragher said the build-up to the match may have got to the 24-year-old. Caicedo had been especially energetic early on and was fortunate not to be cautioned earlier for a shoulder charge on Jurrien Timber.
“He was really pumped up, I think we saw that right from the start of the game,” Carragher said. “I think the whole talk this week of Rice vs Caicedo maybe got to him, understandably so. It’s a huge game, and he ends up getting himself involved in a challenge. Yes, it’s a red card, but it’s just daft to get involved in a tackle like that. He doesn’t need to.”
Carragher praised Caicedo’s ball-winning ability but noted a tendency to come in at awkward angles. “He’s a brilliant player. He wins the ball back fantastically well, but I think he does have a tendency where he can look clumsy with some of the angles he can come in with, and I’m quite surprised that this is only his first red card,” he added, referencing a similar incident in the Carabao Cup final against Ryan Gravenberch.
Merino, who was on the receiving end of the challenge, said he immediately knew it was a sending off. “I felt my ankle go all the way,” he told Sky Sports. “But luckily, I have very mobile ankles and body so I wasn’t concerned about myself. But I knew it was a horrible challenge and a red card straight away.” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also supported the decision: “It was really fast in the beginning. I saw the reaction and everybody was saying ‘he’s off’. Anthony [Taylor] made a call and I think it’s the right one.”
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca agreed Caicedo warranted a red card but criticised refereeing consistency, saying Piero Hincapie should also have been dismissed for a second-half elbow on Trevoh Chalobah. Chelsea captain Reece James said in his post-match interview he felt “there should have been another red” for Arsenal. Maresca revealed he questioned Taylor about keeping Hincapie on the pitch, but was told it was not an elbow.
Sky Sports commentators said VAR officials judged Hincapie’s eyes were on the ball, which influenced the decision to book rather than send him off. Images from the match showed Chalobah with swelling around the eye.
Maresca also compared Caicedo’s red to a recent incident involving Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur, claiming Bentancur avoided a red for a similar challenge on Reece James earlier in November. “It’s a red card,” Maresca said of Caicedo’s challenge. “But why Bentancur against Reece was not red card when we played Spurs away? So as managers, we struggle to understand why they judge in a different way. Moi is a red card, yes. Bentancur is red card, yes. Why don’t they give them both red cards? It’s just that we struggle to understand.”
Sky Sports will analyse the Hincapie and Caicedo incidents further on Ref Watch.