Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was fortunate to escape a red card during his side’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, and former Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen has slammed the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for failing to intervene correctly.
Ndidi’s challenge on Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was reckless and endangered the safety of the young winger, and Owen felt that the VAR system had let Ndidi off the hook. “I think the VAR has got it wrong here,” Owen told Premier League Productions. “Ndidi’s challenge was reckless and endangered the safety of Palmer. He’s lucky to have escaped a red card.
“I’ve seen it again and again, and I still can’t believe he didn’t get sent off. It’s a clear red card, and the VAR should have intervened. It’s not good enough, and it’s not what we want to see in the Premier League.”
Former Wales manager Rob Page also felt that Ndidi had been fortunate to avoid a more severe punishment. “Wilfred Ndidi is very lucky,” Page said. “It’s a clumsy challenge, he has gone in for the tackle and landed on Cole Palmer’s Achilles tendon.
“You can’t just go around kicking people and expect to get away with it. Ndidi needs to be more careful in his challenges, and the VAR needs to be more consistent in its decision-making.”
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper refused to comment on the incident, but did express his disappointment with the result. “We’re disappointed with the result, but we can’t control the decisions made by the referee and the VAR,” Cooper said. “We need to focus on our own performance and make sure we’re doing everything we can to win games.”
Chelsea’s victory was sealed thanks to goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernández, with Jordan Ayew scoring a late consolation penalty for Leicester City. The win was a welcome boost for Chelsea, who have been struggling for consistency this season.
The defeat leaves Leicester City struggling in the Premier League, and Cooper will be looking for a response from his players in their next match. As for Ndidi, he will be grateful to have escaped a red card, but will need to be more disciplined in his challenges if he is to avoid trouble in the future.
Keep going on about the wilf tackle but the player got up and played the rest of the game so many that cheat in the Chelsea team end off