DANIEL STURRIDGE: VAR BROKE 'GOLDEN RULE' ON CAICEDO'S RED CARD
Daniel Sturridge claims VAR broke protocol by using slow-motion for Caicedo's red card.
Daniel Sturridge thinks a key VAR rule might have been broken when Moises Caicedo of Chelsea got a red card against Arsenal on Sunday. Caicedo was sent off for a late challenge on Mikel Merino. The ref, Anthony Taylor, first gave a yellow card, but VAR stepped in.
Sturridge, who used to play for Chelsea and Liverpool, kind of criticised how the technology was used, even though he agreed with the final call.
He told Sky Sports, When you watch it in slow motion, it looks bad. The ref first decided on a yellow card. Then they used VAR to look at it again. Watching it slowed down, it looks like a red card. But at full speed, it doesn't seem so bad. Slowing it down makes the ref think it's a red. When you watch the replay in slow motion, it decides for them.
Alan Smith, who was commentating with Sky Sports, said earlier, They're taking a good long look. He came in fast and hard. This could be a turning point in the game. They need to show it at full speed.
He missed the ball, but he came in hard, and they usually worry about a straight leg. He'll be lucky to stay on the field.
The Premier League shared their opinion soon after Caicedo was kicked out. Taylor also explained why he changed the card.
The Premier League Match Centre posted on X: #CHEARS – 34' VAR OVERTURN. After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of a yellow card to Caicedo and issued a red card for serious foul play.
Referee announcement: After review, Chelsea 25 makes a challenge with excessive force and endangers the safety of the opponent; therefore, my final decision is a red card.
Even with only ten players, Chelsea scored first. Trevoh Chalobah headed in a corner from Reece James.
But Mikel Merino quickly tied the score, heading in a cross from Bukayo Saka.
After Caicedo's red card, Chelsea seemed to focus on defending. Piero Hincapie was probably lucky not to get a red card himself after hitting Chalobah with an elbow.
Later, Hincapie fouled Joao Pedro, leading to more appeals, but Taylor didn't give another red card.
However, there were many yellow cards. Myles Lewis Skelly got a booking soon after replacing Riccardo Calafiori, who had already received a yellow card.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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