Moises Caicedo was inspired by comparisons to Arsenal’s Declan Rice before receiving his red card against the Gunners, Jamie Carragher says.
Caicedo was shown a red card for the first time in his Chelsea career for a dangerous challenge on Mikel Merino during a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking on Super Sunday: Overtime, Carragher said the noise surrounding the match may have affected the 24-year-old. Caicedo looked particularly healthy before his dismissal, but was lucky not to get an early booking for a shoulder charge from Julian Timber.
“He was really fired up and I think you could see that right from the start of the game,” Carragher said. “I think the Rice vs. Caicedo thing this week probably got to him, and rightly so.
“In an important game, he ends up getting involved in a challenge. Yes, it’s a red card, but it’s stupid to get involved in a tackle like that. He doesn’t need that.”
“He’s a great player. He wins the ball back well, but I think he tends to look clumsy from certain angles. I’m very surprised that this is his first red card.”
“I also remember the challenge against (Ryan) Gravenbirch in the Carabao Cup final a few years ago. Not because he’s a mean player, but that was a really good example. He had to face his own goal to win the challenge. Basically he had someone coming up behind him so he didn’t have to get involved.”
“He has to be careful about that. He’s a great player but he definitely needs to learn from it. If he comes out and says this is a definite red card, the manager will talk to him and it’s really good to hear that.”
Merino: “Caicedo’s tackle was a terrible challenge”
Arsenal midfielder Merino said he felt full of Caicedo’s challenge, but the Spaniard quickly realized it was a sending off.
Referee Anthony Taylor initially gave Caicedo a warning, but the challenge was sent to the VAR monitor to confirm and was later upgraded to a red card for “excessive force”.
“I felt like my ankle was going to hurt by the end,” Merino told Sky Sports. “But luckily I have very mobile ankles and body, so I wasn’t worried about myself.
“But I knew it was a terrible challenge and an immediate red card.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta added: “He was really quick in the beginning. When you saw the reaction, everyone was saying, ‘He’s quit’.”
“Anthony (Taylor, the referee) made the call, and I think it was the right call.”
Maresca questions consistency and says Hincapie should have seen red too
Chelsea manager Maresca felt Piero Hincapie should have been included in addition to Caicedo, who was sent off in the second half for taking an elbow to goalscorer Trevo Chalobah.
Chelsea captain Reece James said in an interview with Sky Sports that he felt Arsenal “should have had another red” and revealed that Maresca asked Anthony Taylor’s decision to leave Hincapie on the pitch.
Sky Sports commentators said VAR officials were correct in not sending off the Arsenal defender because Hincapie’s eyes were on the ball during the match.
“I think Rees is right, but it’s up to them to decide,” Maresca said in the post-match press conference. “I asked the referee and he said it wasn’t an elbow, that’s what they said.
“He’s got a black eye like this here. There was ice at halftime. But they judge it differently.”
Maresca also took issue with Caicedo’s inconsistency regarding his red card, claiming it was the same as Rodrigo Bentacur’s challenge on Spurs during Spurs’ loss to Chelsea in early November. Bentancur avoided a red card following a VAR check.
The Italian agreed that Caicedo should have been sent off, but did not like his lack of consistency in the Premier League.
“This is a red card,” Maresca said of Caicedo’s challenge. “But when we played away against Spurs, why didn’t Reiss vs Bentancur get a red card?
“So as a manager, I have a hard time understanding why they judge things differently.
“Moi has a red card, yes. Bentancur has a red card, yes. Why don’t they give red cards (to both)? It’s just something we’re struggling to understand.”
“The reality is it’s a red card. But why would you take a different decision?”
Watch Dermot Gallagher analyze the Pierrot Hincapie and Moises Caicedo incident on Sky Sports News’ Ref Watch on Monday morning at 9am.






