Mark Clattenburg believes that Anthony Taylor was right to only book Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie for his challenge on Trevoh Chalobah.
In what was a feisty London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal, Anthony Taylor was certainly made to earn his money at Stamford Bridge.
Just after Moises Caicedo was shown a red card for his tackle on Mikel Merino, Piero Hincapie was involved in an incident with Trevoh Chalobah in which the pair contested for the ball in the air.
The Arsenal defender caught the Chelsea player in the side of the face with his elbow and left him with a big red mark on his cheek.
Following the hotly contested London derby, Mark Clattenburg has given his honest view on whether the Ecuadorian international should have seen red.
Mark Clattenburg says Anthony Taylor was right to book Piero Hincapie vs Chelsea
Clattenburg has explained that because Hincapie had his eyes firmly on the ball and did not appear to swing intentionally for Chalobah, a booking was more than fair.
The home support at Stamford Bridge were baying for a red card, but Taylor stood firm, opting to book the Arsenal star, and VAR concurred.
Speaking on Beyond The Back Four, the former Premier League official said: “There was a challenge where Chalobah went up with an Arsenal player. Chalobah, certainly, after the challenge, had a mark on his face.
Was Anthony Taylor right to book Piero Hincapie vs Chelsea?
“But when you look at the challenge, what referees look for is whether the player swings his arm into his opponent.
“Hincapie jumps, eyes focused on the ball, which isn’t always a get-out clause, but also sees his hand and it’s open like normal when jumping for elevation, so not using it for force.
“When clenching fists and swinging an arm, there’s force. Refs look at the hand to judge whether the arm is being used as a weapon. Taylor got the call right here. When VAR looks at it, all elements would’ve been considered.”
Just moments prior, Arsenal’s bench were furious about Caicedo’s tackle and Hincapie’s fellow countryman was shown a red card.
Piero Hincapie had a mixed performance against Chelsea
Making just his second start in the Premier League, Hincapie produced a mixed performance against Chelsea.
The defender struggled in the first half and almost gifted Joao Pedro a goal following a slip just outside his own penalty area.
Following William Saliba’s injury being announced ahead of kick-off, it was quite the ask for Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera to step in and replace the best defensive partnership in Europe on such a big occasion.
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But eventually, the defender grew into the game, and Saliba loved Hincapie’s challenge on Pedro Neto just after the hour mark.
The 23-year-old celebrated the tackle like a goal, which highlights the importance of quality defending in a Mikel Arteta team.
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