CHELSEA fans rejoiced there was no VAR as they escaped an early penalty scare at Middlesbrough.
There was less than a minute on the clock in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg when the Blues were almost made to pay for Levi Colwill’s error.
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His loose touch enabled Emmanuel Latte Lath to race into the box with the ball.
And as he got his shot away, Axel Disasi came flying across with a reckless sliding tackle.
Disasi got none of the ball and clattered into the Boro striker, who needed treatment and limped off a few minutes later.
But Blues supporters watching the clash at the Riverside on TV were relieved to see the referee not give the spot kick.
And due to their opponents being in the Championship, there was no VAR at Stockley Park to tell the official to watch a replay on a pitchside monitor and overturn his decision.
One fan said: “Thank God there was no VAR.”
Another wrote: “Reckless challenge tbh.”
A third added: “Second replay showed that Disasi did not get the ball, but actually tackled Latte Lath.”
However, not everyone was in agreement that the last-ditch tackle by Disasi was a foul.
Michael Carrick – who was already without 12 players through injury before kick-off – could not believe his luck when Alex Bangura also had to be substituted inside 20 minutes, taking the tally to 14 crocked men.
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