Leeds United’s Ian Poveda has caused a stir amongst pundits after his honesty denied his side what looked like a penalty at Stamford Bridge when he was kicked by Ben Chilwell.
VAR has been at the centre of nearly all the controversy in the Premier League this season and it’s becoming a contentious issue worth debating in every game we see, it seems.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men haven’t been able to avoid such moments this season either, with Patrick Bamford’s disallowed goal away to Crystal Palace the most obvious example.
Deemed offside for his shirtsleeve, Bamford’s Palace non-goal highlighted the lack of clarity between the rules being enforced, the implementation of VAR, and the consistency of refereeing decisions.
However, more confusion has surrounded the Premier League officiating after Leeds’ 3-1 defeat away to Chelsea on Saturday night.
While the Blues ran out deserved winners, the game could have had a much different complexion in the second half with the score at 2-1.
Ian Poveda was introduced by Marcelo Bielsa and instantly looked to get at the Chelsea back four, and was at the centre of one of the game’s major talking points.
Latching onto a loose ball just inside the right side of the Chelsea box, Poveda prodded a waist-high ball past Ben Chilwell before the Blues left-back kicked the bottom of Poveda’s boot.
The Leeds winger stayed on his feet, regained his balance before taking aim at the Chelsea goal, only to hit a tame effort straight down Edouard Mendy’s throat.
There were barely any appeals from the Leeds camp for a penalty to be awarded thanks to Poveda’s honesty, but if he had gone down, there would have been huge calls for a spot-kick to be awarded.
Just last week, Brighton were awarded a late penalty against Liverpool for an identical foul, the only difference being that Danny Welbeck went to ground when Andy Robertson kicked him.
On talkSPORT’s Breakfast Show, trio Laura Woods, Troy Deeney, and Ally McCoist discussed Poveda’s decision not to go down, where a penalty would have been the likely result. Woods outlined (quotes via the Yorkshire Evening Post): “Replays did show that Ben Chilwell made contact. He stayed on his feet, and regained his balance before shooting.”
Deeney then responded: “I think this is going to get me in trouble but in that moment, after the game, you’ll be sitting in the dressing room and someone will say, ‘You didn’t fancy going down there?’
“I think diving is part and parcel of the game. There was a great example when [Conor] Coady went down last night and he wasn’t booked. There’s no deterrent not to do it again.”
However, McCoist replied with this: “I always think a goalscorer’s natural reaction is to stay on his feet if he’s got a chance of scoring.”