REVEALED: Reason Chelsea were denied penalty despite 'clear' Kovacic handball in City loss

2 months ago 176

Chelsea endured an unlucky game in their opening match of the campaign against champions Manchester City
Enzo Maresca's side had at least three penalty appeals waved away by Anthony Taylor, with Mateo Kovacic's handball the most controversial
TUKO.co.ke looks at the rules Taylor used in his reasoning as goals from Kovacic and Erling Haaland sealed the win for the visitors

Chelsea players and fans alike were left seething with anger after they were denied what they thought was a clear-cut penalty on August 18.

The Blues welcomed Manchester City to Stamford Bridge in their first game of the 2024/2025 season.

Mateo Kovacic, Manchester City, why Chelsea were denied penalty, Chelsea vs Manchester City

Erling Haaland lobbed the ball over Robert Sanchez to open his account for the season in the 18th minute.

Chelsea grew in confidence as the game went by, with Enzo Maresca looking to get an early foothold in his first competitive game in charge.

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Mateo Kovacic's handball incident vs Chelsea

The West Londoners had half-hearted penalty appeals, mostly from Enzo Fernandez, but referee Anthony Taylor stood his ground.

Their strongest shout came in the second half when an attempted Malo Gusto pass met a flailing Matteo Kovacic arm. Despite protests from the home crowd and Chelsea players, Taylor once again declined to issue a spot-kick

Why Chelsea were denied penalty for Kovacic handball

The replays showed the ball catching the Croat's underarm, prompting an inquest on what the football laws say. IFAB Law 12 touches on what constitutes a handball. One clause says,

"It will be considered an offence if a player touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. A player is considered to have made their body unnaturally bigger when the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation."

Now, Kovacic's arm was not in a natural position, but the former Chelsea player was saved by the proximity when Gusto took the shot. The proximity law, which is under the referee's discretion, looks at whether the player had time to get his arms in a natural position before the ball hit his arm.

"The proximity of the player whose hand or arm makes contact with the ball to where the ball was struck from will still be an important consideration for officials when making a decision to award handball or not," reads a Premier League statement.

Kovacic exacted more pain for Chelsea when he scored Manchester City's second goal shortly after as City began their title defence in promising fashion.