Former referee Mark Clattenburg has criticized the decision not to award Chelsea a penalty for a Declan Rice handball, labeling the non-call a “stonewall offence” despite Arsenal’s 2-1 victory.
Mark Clattenburg expressed outrage over the officiating during Chelsea’s narrow defeat at the Emirates.
The controversy centered on a second-half corner where Declan Rice appeared to strike the ball with his arm.
Despite Chelsea’s respectable performance, the referee and VAR declined to intervene. “Declan Rice defends a corner kick and clearly moves his arm to the ball and a penalty kick should have been awarded,” Clattenburg stated.
The former official highlighted a growing trend of erratic decisions impacting Liam Rosenior’s side.
While Chelsea’s disciplinary record remains a concern following Pedro Neto’s red card, Clattenburg insisted the technical error by the officiating crew was undeniable.
“We see each week the inconsistency with refereeing decisions and this week is no different. The ball comes from a long distance and a clear movement of the arm to the ball should always result in a penalty.”