Keith Hackett shocked by Thomas Partey on Enzo Fernandez as Arsenal beat Chelsea
Yesterday at 12:11 PM
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was lucky not to be punished for a “reckless” incident in his side’s win over Chelsea, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the 31-year-old was deserving of a card after his challenge on the Argentine international Enzo Fernandez.
There was plenty of controversy as the two side’s met at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (16 March), with Marc Cucurella lucky not to concede a penalty after a handball inside the Chelsea area.
Wesley Fofana was escaped a card for a stamp on Declan Rice, although there were moments where it was Arsenal who avoided the appropriate punishment.
Thomas Partey clashes with Enzo Fernandez
With 17 minutes on the clock, Partey would go in for a challenge on Fernandez as he attempted to win a loose ball.
However, the Arsenal man did not come close to winning possession, and instead caught his Chelsea counterpart high on the leg with his studs.
| Arsenal last five games | Result |
| Nottingham Forest (A) | Drew 0-0 |
| PSV (A) | Won 7-1 |
| Man United (A) | Drew 1-1 |
| PSV (H) | Drew 2-2 (won 9-3 on aggregate) |
| Chelsea (H) | Won 1-0 |
Referee Chris Kavanagh though instead pulled play back for a free kick to the Blues for a previous incident, and chose not to book Partey for his challenge.
VAR also checked the challenge but deemed it not to be worthy of a red card, ensuring the Ghana international remained on the pitch.
Hackett though feels that the Arsenal man should have received some sort of sanction for his challenge on Fernandez.
Keith Hackett issues Arsenal card verdict after VAR check
After being asked by Football Insider about that challenge from Partey, the former referee couldn’t believe the incident and said:
“That is reckless! Therefore he has to have a yellow card, there’s no question it’s reckless, so for me he’s got away with on.
“I don’t this referee had a particularly good game to be honest in this match. So for me that’s a reckless challenge and warranted a yellow card.”
With his contract set to expire in the summer, Partey is expected to leave Arsenal at the end of this season.
Following this win, Mikel Arteta’s side have opened up a four point gap over third place Nottingham Forest in the table.
However, they are still 12 points behind leaders Liverpool with nine games of the season still to be played.
The post Keith Hackett shocked by Thomas Partey on Enzo Fernandez as Arsenal beat Chelsea appeared first on Football Insider.
