Chelsea star Cole Palmer should have been sent off for violent conduct during the recent London derby defeat against Tottenham, according to the Premier League's Key Match Incidents panel. While the England international was eventually dismissed for two yellow cards, officials now admit he was lucky to remain on the pitch following a heated confrontation.
The Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel has concluded that referee Chris Kavanagh made a significant error by not showing Palmer a straight red card during Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Tottenham on October 24. The incident occurred after Spurs midfielder Mateus Fernandes used his arm to block a pass, preventing Palmer from breaking free. Incensed by the handball, the Chelsea star lost his cool, rushing over to barge into Fernandes as he stood up and making contact with his face.
Kavanagh opted for a yellow card at the time, but the five-person independent panel has since reviewed the footage and determined the punishment was insufficient. According to the panel's findings, three of the five members believed the England international should have been sent off immediately for violent conduct. They noted that there was 'clear contact to the head' and described Palmer's aggressive physical response as 'unnecessary, dangerous and made with excessive force,' suggesting he was fortunate to stay on the pitch as long as he did.
While the majority of the KMI panel pushed for a straight red card before Palmer was eventually sent off for a second yellow following a mis-timed challenge on Conor Gallagher, the verdict was not unanimous. Two of the five panellists sided with the referee's original decision to brandish a yellow card, arguing that while Palmer's actions were aggressive, they did not meet the threshold for excessive force.
Interestingly, despite the majority ruling that a red card was the correct outcome, the entire panel supported the VAR's decision not to intervene during the match. The group unanimously agreed that the VAR was right to stay silent because a yellow card had already been issued on the field, meaning the incident did not meet the 'clear and obvious error' criteria required for a mid-game reversal.
The review of the eighth round of fixtures also shed light on other significant officiating mistakes, including a missed penalty in Aston Villa's 2-1 victory over Manchester City. The panel found that Johan Manzambi should have been awarded a spot-kick after being brought down by Elliot Anderson.
In that specific instance, three members of the panel felt Anderson made no genuine attempt to play the ball. Furthermore, two members believed the VAR should have stepped in to correct the referee's oversight.
Across the eighth round of fixtures, the Key Match Incidents panel deemed 26 of the 30 major calls correct, bringing the Premier League's overall decision accuracy to 88 per cent across 162 reviewed incidents so far this season.
