PGMOL chief gives verdict on 'reckless' Moises Caicedo tackle against Tottenham

PGMOL referees chief Howard Webb described a controversial challenge made by Chelsea's Moises Caicedo against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as "reckless", but insisted it didn't warrant a red card.

The endlessly energetic midfielder crunched into a meaty tackle on Pape Sarr in the first half of a 4-3 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. On-pitch referee Anthony Taylor didn't even show Caicedo a yellow card, while VAR Jarred Gillett deemed that the connection with Sarr's shin did not represent "serious foul play".

On the latest edition of Match Officials Mic'd Up, Webb dissected the incident together with Michael Owen.

"I think a yellow card should have been shown," the former Premier League referee conceded. "Caicedo received no disciplinary sanction for that action. I think his actions are reckless. I know there was talk about the possibility of this being a red card. Some people felt it was. It's not a red card for me. This is a situation where Moises Caicedo goes to swing to kick a ball, which is kicked away from him by Pape Sarr.

"That swinging action continues into the leg of Sarr. You'll see the foot comes through. It comes off really quickly, back on to the ground. Slow motion can sometimes distort reality. When you watch it at full speed, it hits the shin and comes down into the ground. For me, that's reckless. It's not serious foul play because it's not excessive force. It doesn't endanger the safety of Pape Sarr."

When pushed on the topic by Owen, Webb admitted the contact Caicedo made with Sarr's leg "is high", before arguing: "Slow motion, freeze frames, can make something look quite different.

"At full speed, there's no real energy coming through that foot into the shin. It comes off really quickly. So there's not the kind of exertion of force through into the opponent's leg which would do the damage. This hits the leg and comes off quickly."

Caicedo not only stayed on the pitch, but was shifted back into the middle of the park at half-time by Enzo Maresca. From that more familiar role, the unpunished midfielder won Chelsea's first penalty which Cole Palmer converted to level the score at 2-2.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou did not dwell on the decision post-game. "There were a couple [of calls] that didn't go our way but there's nothing we can do about that. It's out of our control," was all he would offer.

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