Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made Premier League history when he decided not to send off David Brooks for a challenge on Mark Cucurella during the Blues’ 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Coach Enzo Maresca was furious.

Bournemouth were lucky not to have Brooks sent off in the second half for a tug on Marc Cucurella, with a pitch-side VAR review not sparing the winger.

Referee Robert Jones was sent to the monitor by VAR official Graham Scott to review the incident and consider giving Brooks a red card for his violent behavior.

But Jones – somewhat surprisingly – decided to stick with his original decision not to receive a red card on the field, opting instead to warn Brooks.

This is the first time in the history of the Premier League that a referee has refused to review a red card after being sent to the pitchside monitor for review by VAR.

It was also the first time this season that a VAR monitor had been rejected.

Managers divided on Brooks’ clash with Cucurella

“I said many times, for me, if there is no intention to take the ball, it’s a red card,” Maresca said. “They have to explain. If they show a yellow card, it means something happened.

“So, how do they tell it’s not dangerous? You can’t tell it’s not dangerous.”

“Our intention was just to fight Marc Cucurella. In my opinion it was a red card. Hopefully we will be more lucky with referees in the future.”

Regarding the incident, Chelsea FC captain Reece James added: “When the referee looks at the monitor, it’s never a good sign.

“There’s a positive side to the game, but there’s also a negative side. It’s a mixed emotion.”

In December, Southampton defender Jack Stephens was sent off for a similar hair-pulling incident.

Premier League Match Center said at the time that it recommended an on-site review into possible violence, which ultimately led to Stephens’ sacking.

However, during Bournemouth’s game against Chelsea, referee Jones ruled Brooks’ behavior was reckless but not violent and was not sent off after he was advised to check the monitor in the same way.

A statement said: “VAR recommended an on-site review for a possible red card for Brooks’ violent behavior. After review, the referee determined that the challenge on Cucurella was reckless rather than violent and showed Brooks a yellow card.”

Bournemouth manager Andoni Illara took a different view on Maresca’s incident and believed Jones was right to warn Brooks.

“I don’t understand why VAR asked the referee to check,” he said.

“There was no violence and I thought it was a clear yellow card. To me, Brooks never wanted to do anything other than stop a counterattack (attack).

“When you take into account how Chelsea performed and how we performed, I don’t think we deserved to win. I don’t think we were better than Chelsea.”

Maresca was delighted as James equalized after the captain returned from injury

Meanwhile, Maresca said Chelsea captain James deserved his moment after saving a point from a free-kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time against Bournemouth.

The captain came on as a second-half substitute, recovering from a hamstring injury, and made it 2-2 in the dying seconds, but Maresca nonetheless saw his side’s winless run in the Premier League Extended to five games.

This is James’ first league goal since the draw with Tottenham Hotspur in August 2022, and it is also his first return to the team in the league since November.

“He deserves it and that makes it clear to us after a difficult moment,” Maresca said.

“I’m happy for him and happy for us. His goal now is to try to stay healthy until the end (of the season) and he’s going to help us play the way we want to play.”

“One of our best second halves of the season”

Chelsea had plenty of chances to finish off Bournemouth in the first half, but Nicholas Jackson missed their best player.

Before that, he had set up Cole Palmer’s opening goal, turning deftly to break away from three Bournemouth players before delivering a perfect pass for Chelsea’s top scorer. into the goal.

The Senegalese striker then hit the post before firing over from six yards, leaving the goal clear.

Bournemouth made the most of Jackson’s profligacy in the second half, with Justin Kluivert’s penalty equalizing before Antoine Semenho made it 2-1, beating young defender Josh Achim Pong then rocketed a shot into Roberto Sanchez’s near post.

James’ late intervention saved Chelsea, but their winless run in the league continued.

“This was probably one of our best first halves of the season, we created a lot of chances both with and without the ball,” Maresca said.

“The first half had to end with a different scoreline. I think at least 2-0 is what we deserved. After the penalty in the second half, the game completely changed. We were a bit behind and we need to understand why.

“It’s a bit of a shame. When you play like that in the first half, you have to stay calm. The game was completely under control, 100 per cent.”