We went to the locker room of the Chelsea-Manchester City match with both sides level at 2. It was a very exciting first half that was marred by controversy, especially so on the tussle between City striker Erling Haaland and Chelsea left back Marc Cucurella. Lots of observers, including television commentator and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, have called out the VAR decision to award Haaland a penalty as the wrong call.
ON CITY PENALTY did Haaland need to be held because he held Cucurella first? ??? pic.twitter.com/uJ5PqnEKd2
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) November 12, 2023
Take a look, as it appears that Haaland grabbed the shirt of Cucurella, prior to the Blues defender grabbing the City center forward’s shirt.
Haaland would convert the penalty, and in the process score his first ever goal against Chelsea. Carragher fumed at how the Video Assistant Referee ruled on this one.
“This isn’t right… no, no, no,” Carragher said. “This isn’t right. The VAR has looked the end of the tussle. He needs to look at the start. This is very harsh.”
Take another look at the play:
Haaland literally pulls Cucurella back first. Corruption at its finest pic.twitter.com/lx7tdHgEi4
— Conn (@ConnCFC) November 12, 2023
Carragher is right!
But Chelsea soon responded, scoring their first goal in more than 10 hours of football against Man City (the last time was Kai Havertz in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League Final).
Thiago Silva equalized soon after Haaland converted from the spot.
And in the process he became the oldest player to score a premier league goal since Ryan Giggs in February of 2013.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.