Anthony Taylor Accused of Forgetting Major Rule in Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea which resulted in….
Bournemouth captain Adam Smith has slammed referee Anthony Taylor for his officiating during the Cherries’ 1-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend. Not many people would have backed the Saturday night fixture to be as ill-disciplined as it was, but the two sides set the record for the highest number of yellow cards in a single game in Premier League history.
The hosts were on the wrong side of six of those cautions, as well as the fact that they found themselves unlucky to take nothing home from the clash thanks to Christopher Nkunku’s late strike. Smith, though, has since launched into Taylor’s performance, going as far to say he couldn’t ‘deal with it anymore.’
Speaking after the game, the Bournemouth skipper revealed his exasperation as to the reason why he was handed a yellow card by the 45-year-old official and went as far as to say that the refereeing in the Premier League makes the games unenjoyable. Smith, who is the most tenured player at the Vitality Stadium, explained:
The incident in question came when Chelsea goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez, was not sent off for conceding a penalty with a clumsy challenge on Cherries front man Evanilson. The Spaniard was saved by the double jeopardy rule and subsequently saved the spot kick too.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, it has been claimed that Enzo Maresca was happy with his side’s display over the weekend, despite the number of bookings they picked up. It is believed that the Italian is happy for the Blues to pick up so many yellows, with his theory being that if that’s what it takes to win, then so be it.
It was also reported that the former Leicester City boss gave his players a verbal telling off for returning to the dressing room at half-time with clean kits, leading to a more aggressive approach in the second period, where the Londoners picked up five of their eight cautions. His opposite number, Andoni Iraola, refused to comment on the feisty affair, opting to not risk getting in trouble with the FA.
“I can’t deal with it anymore. Every foul was a yellow. It’s mental. He booked me for just going up to talk to him about the penalty and the sending-off decision. I’m the captain and I’m allowed to do that but he said I had come from a far distance and that’s why he booked me. But I don’t understand.
“That’s what I said and he booked me. I guess it’s just little Bournemouth, which I’ve had for the past nine years. Sometimes I don’t enjoy the game. It’s multiple things, to be honest. It’s refereeing for sure, which is just draining, really draining.”
