FOOTY FANS were left fuming after Malo Gusto avoided a straight red card for a horror tackle against Fulham.
The Blues returned to Premier League action today in the West London derby at Stamford Bridge.
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And they were desperate to bounce back after they were slammed by fans following Tuesday’s 1-0 loss in the first-leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Middlesbrough.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s hopes of a victory were nearly dealt a blow before the first half had even finished after a lunging challenge by French international full-back Malo.
The 20-year-old was tussling with a Fulham player on the edge of the area when the ball broke free and began to run away from him.
As Fulham’s ex-Chelsea winger Willian raced to collect it, he beat the Blues ace to the ball and knocked it to the side of his opponent, who was already off the ground and flying towards him.
But he was left writhing in agony as the button of Malo’s boot connected straight with his ankle studs first.
However, despite the incident being checked by VAR, the Chelsea player managed to escape with just a yellow card – and that decision left viewers raging.
After the clip was shared by TNT Sports on X, one fan responded: “Another day, another shocker. Stop putting prem refs who manage games well but make poor decisions in the VAR room.
“Get those that maybe can’t keep up with play but score higher on accurate decision making from lower leagues in there and you may get more right…”
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“Lucky, lucky Gusto,” commented another while a third added: “Further proof referees deserve every single bit of abuse they get cos how the f*** is that not a red?”
Another fumed: “Can somebody please tell me why why why these clowns are still trusted to do a job they aren’t even close to being competent at.”
While a fifth said: “That’s the most blatant red ever!”
Things got even worse for Fulham before the break as they fell behind to a penalty in stoppage time as Cole Palmer kept his cool to slot home from the spot.
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