The London Blues narrowly avoided what could have been a very awkward situation against Burnley, largely thanks to the discretion of match official Peter Bankes.
Enzo Maresca’s squad found themselves in a closely contested match with the Clarets at Turf Moor during Saturday’s early game, reaching the half-hour mark.
Neither team had successfully established significant control over the other’s territory, but this almost took a turn for the worse from the perspective of the London side, due to an unexpected incident during a goal kick.
London Blues almost hand Burnley a penalty out of nowhere
After the ball went out resulting in a goal kick for Chelsea, the visiting team was preparing for the play to resume when they nearly handed their opponents a penalty opportunity.
In current football, we often see that short set-pieces can create risky situations for teams. However, Trevoh Chalobah managed to create such a situation even without any immediate pressure from the opposition.
As is increasingly common, the central defender positioned himself near the edge of the six-yard area, in proximity to goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The goalkeeper, holding the ball, appeared to execute a short pass along the ground towards his teammate.
Then, inexplicably, Chalobah used his hand to stop the ball, intending to begin the play.
Understandably, the Burnley players, positioned around the penalty area, believed that Sanchez had already initiated the restart with his pass. Therefore, they fervently appealed for a penalty, citing Chalobah’s alleged handball.
TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher, upon viewing a replay of the event, exclaimed with surprise, “I tell you what…”, suggesting that Chelsea might have been fortunate to avoid a penalty.
However, they indeed avoided it, as Bankes dismissed Burnley’s appeals. Soon after, Chelsea capitalized, with Pedro Neto scoring the opening goal.
According to FourFourTwo, London were fortunate in this case.
Bankes decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, though it definitely seemed that Sanchez believed he had already put the ball back in play, judging by his stance before and after he made the pass.
If the referee had seen things differently, it would have been one of the more remarkable and embarrassing ways a Premier League team has conceded a penalty in recent memory.
And, considering that the home team trailed by a goal at halftime, they might have legitimate reasons to feel aggrieved.
