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Chelsea finally got their first win of the season after beating Tottenham 2-1 in front of their own fans at the Wembley Stadium.
Two key incidents happened in that game – Eric Dier’s horror tackle against David Luiz and a terrible one on Victor Moses from Jan Vertonghen. The two Spurs players produced terrible tackles and only saw yellow cards for tackles that were worse than that of Gary Cahill against Burnley that made the referee give him a red card.
Dier's tackle is exactly the same, if not worse, than Cahill's last week. Yet he gets a yellow & not a red. More inconsistent refereeing.
— Will Talbut (@WillTalbut) August 20, 2017
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has admitted that at least Vertonghen should have been issued a red card for his rash challenge.
About the Dier tackle, he said: “I think yellow card: his foot was low, it’s not dangerous and he’s not gone [in] fast. He’s not connected with his studs, he’s actually caught him with the knee and there are two Chelsea players there. It’s low, he’s not gone high, he’s not caught him high. I think it’s a yellow card.”
On Vertonghen’s tackle, he said: “I think this is a red card. The difference is he’s high and he’s late. There’s no chance of getting the ball – he’s nowhere near the ball – and he knows he’s going to get the man. So I think that is a red card.”
In comparison to Cahill’s red card, Gallagher said: “I think this [the Cahill tackle] is the benchmark. The difference is the studs are a lot different to Dier’s and that set the benchmark and why Vertonghen’s a red card.
“That opening day was the benchmark and that’s where we are. Dier’s was low and on the ground and [there are] two Chelsea players. He catches the bottom of David Luiz’s foot, whereas Cahill caught him on the shin.”
