VAR overlooks Lo Celso foul to Lampard’s horror
Frank Lampard has branded Giovani Lo Celso avoiding a red card as “another huge question mark” on the Video Assistant Referee system.
Tottenham midfielder Lo Celso stamped on Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta as the Blues beat Spurs at Stamford Bridge.
Referee Michael Oliver missed the incident and a VAR review ruled against a red card for Lo Celso – but technology coordinators at Stockley Park later admitted their error and that the Spurs star should have been dismissed.
Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso struck as Chelsea cemented fourth place, but Blues manager Lampard was left fuming at Lo Celso avoiding a dismissal.
“Everybody knew they made a mistake,” said Lampard. “We have got the monitor on the side of the pitch and can view it.
“I was just waiting for the red card to be shown, not with pleasure, but that’s a tackle that endangers a player.
“It’s just not good enough, there’s no more to say. Saying afterwards they made a mistake is not good enough. They had minutes, but they still made a mistake.
“It’s another huge question mark on VAR. I want it to be good, I want it to work. VAR was brought in to remove mistakes and it was so wrong today. So it’s more question marks.”
Smart strikes from Giroud and Alonso ensured Chelsea wound up avoiding losing out to VAR again, while Antonio Rudiger was unlucky to put through his own net late on.
Chelsea’s victory over Spurs at Stamford Bridge proved the first time the officials had admitted a mistake in a VAR ruling.
And that left Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho frustrated with what he considered an unwanted precedent, calling on officials to be consistent with handling mistakes.
Mourinho continued to lament Liverpool’s Andy Robertson escaping punishment for fouling Japhet Tanganga in the Reds’ 1-0 win at Spurs on January 11, and Etienne Capoue avoiding any sanction in Tottenham’s goalless draw at Watford a week later.
“I hope the noise is the same noise as when the VAR kills us,” said Mourinho. “I hope the noise is exactly the same; against Liverpool when Robertson should get a red card and didn’t. Against Watford when Capoue should get a red card, with the same gentleman here, Michael Oliver.”
Alonso toasted his first league match since the success at Spurs on December 22 with a virtuoso performance, drilling a fine finish, blazing just over with a smart 20-yard volley and striking the bar with a whipped free-kick.
Giroud blasted home after Ross Barkley struck a post at Stamford Bridge, to set Chelsea en route to a first league double over their local rivals in 14 years.
Giroud broke the deadlock after a cagey opening, capping a threatening attack for the Blues at the third time of asking.
The France striker beat the offside trap from Jorginho’s ball and hit the target. Hugo Lloris could only palm into the middle of the box, and the onrushing Barkley thumped an ugly effort against the right post.
Giroud was in no mood to waste another rebound, latching on to the loose ball with a fine steadying touch, before firing past Lloris.
Alonso thumped a fine 20-yard volley just over the bar as Chelsea continued to press, before the hosts rode out some concerted Spurs pressure.
Davinson Sanchez missed a prod at a squirming ball across the face of goal, Cesar Azpilicueta produced a fine block from Lucas Moura’s shot and Japhet Tanganga’s loose control wasted a potential one-on-one.
Alonso capped a smart team move with an even better strike after the break, Giroud flicking on to Mason Mount who in turn fed Barkley to flick through for the onrushing wing-back.
Lo Celso then somehow escaped a red card despite a nasty stamp on Azpilicueta, with Chelsea again the frustrated party after a VAR review.
Mount skinned Jan Vertonghen to lay on a fine chance for Tammy Abraham, who could not quite poke past Lloris. Lamela profited from a deflection off the luckless Rudiger to cut Spurs’ arrears at the death, but Chelsea held on for a fully merited victory.
Mourinho is now dreading the final three months of the season after Spurs were robbed of their only two strikers at the club as Son Heung-min joined Harry Kane.
Spurs are in the thick of a six-way battle for fourth, are still in the FA Cup and are not out of the Champions League. But Mourinho appears ready to write off the remainder of this campaign.
“I am going to be repetitive. I would love to be at July 1,” he said.
“I would love to be in pre-season. It’s going to be three long months.”