They don't get fined for pointing it out...it is for doing it in public. Pretty sure most managers wouldn't like it if their players came out in public and criticised them on TV.
Yes, in addition to kicking the ball away (I can't blame the referee for missing it, because he was facing the other way - but surely at least one of the other officials must have seen it?), I felt Cesc fouled one of our players from behind towards the end of the game, just outside our penalty box. No foul was given, wrongly in my view, but given that we were heading towards Chelsea's goal, seeking to counter, then had a foul been given a second yellow should surely have followed.
Just watched the Penalty shout, replayed several times, and I am in no way convinced that it should have been awarded, basically because Matt Targett made no attempt to bring Fabregas down, he clearly lost his footing and the Chelsea player tripped, he was not brought down, as such the yellow was harsh, no penalty but apart from looking theatrical, not an intentional dive either in my humble opinion. We have the benefit of hindsight, that is not a luxury that the officials have.
We have had a fair run wrt ref's decisions over the season so far, but I am sure we will endure our fair share of rubbish ones in due course. I was far more concerned when Chelsea broke than when we were under the sustained pressure of their attack which speaks volumes for the brilliance of the defensive effort. the second half I got the impression that we settled for the draw but having said that, it was remarkable how we restricted Chelsea to so few shots. Most pundits agree that they are head and shoulders above any other team in the EPL. Very happy that we held them.
As I see it we have been the victim of many duff decisions this Season, the couple we have had recently has nowhere near balanced things out yet, but we are getting there slowly.
Just got back and randomly selected a page part way through this thread, to read someone bemoaning the team! Unbelievable. Today was a magnificent defensive display and showed that we have another side to us. Yes, Chelsea are/were/ and probably will be a better team than us for some time, but the boys fought marvellously today. So proud.
I'm not bemoaning, but I haven't got that glow today. But again, I understand why he set us up like that, though for me saying "a point's a point" doesn't replace the glow.
Dusan Tadic quote: "I’m really happy to be back. I feel good, and will keep getting better and better physically." Reading between the lines I suspect that there may have been a health problem that robbed him of his fitness?
A lot of people quite rightly praising Targett, but I think Yoshida deserves a mention. Good job standing in at right back, and he only got booked because the ref was trying to balance out his mistakes. Tadic needs to refind his form, though.
Oh yes! Top pass as well. In sympathy to the ref; it looked like Cesc dived because there was no swinging leg from Targett. That's how I saw it. Chelsea deserve any bad luck they get in this respect, if they didn't dive constantly, maybe it would be different.
Like many of the top teams, their players hit the floor the minute they loose control of the ball or feel they are getting nowhere. In fairness, the ref gave Chelsea virtually all the free kicks they "won" by using this method of diving so I was surprised the penalty wasn't give As said before, maybe the refs are getting fed up with critism for giving penalties when shown later to have been a dive and having fooled the ref
Agreed FLT, Hazzard very talented just a shame he hits the floor so easy every time he looses control or gets any challenge. One of the best players in the country at the moment despite that
