Moises Caicedo decision sparks anger as Chelsea suffer major setback

Moises Caicedo picked up his fifth Premier League yellow card of the season during Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday evening, meaning he will miss Sunday's clash with Manchester City

Chelsea fans worldwide have lambasted Sam Barrott's decision to show Moises Caicedo a yellow card for a challenge on Adrian Truffert during the Blues' 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

It was an evening jam-packed with action at Stamford Bridge, with David Brooks opening the scoring for the Cherries just six minutes in. Estevao was then brought to ground inside Bournemouth's penalty area with 15 minutes played, with VAR asking Barrott to take a second look at the incident, which he initially waved away.

Upon reflection, the official awarded a penalty, with Cole Palmer stepping up and converting from 12 yards to draw his team level. Enzo Fernandez then gave Chelsea the lead seven minutes later, much to the delight of all inside Stamford Bridge, but it wasn't to be the hosts' day.

Justin Kluivert rained on the Blues' parade 27 minutes into the clash to draw level before a goalless second-half ensued, and the two teams split the points in west London. Enzo Maresca's side now sit fifth, 15 points behind table toppers Arsenal - with their hopes of winning the Premier League title diminishing by the day.

However, it wasn't just the score that had Chelsea fans speaking in the aftermath of the match. That's because four minutes into the encounter, Caicedo was booked for mistiming his tackle on the halfway line as Truffert tried to cut inside with a hint of trickery.

Despite being early doors, Barrott made the decision to brandish a yellow card in the Ecuadorian's direction, much to the uproar of Blues fans, considering it will mean Caicedo misses Chelsea's clash with Manchester City come Sunday, January 4.

As per the Premier League's disciplinary rules, any player who racks up five yellow cards in the first 19 games of the season will serve a one-game suspension. As Caicedo entered the match on four yellows, picked up against Fulham, Wolves, Newcastle United and Aston Villa respectively, his fifth against Bournemouth will see him sit out their next encounter.

And taking to social media, football fans across the board vented their frustration at the manner in which Caicedo was booked on Tuesday. One wrote: "Yellow card for Caicedo. What exactly did the ref see?"

Another added: "See what they gave Caicedo yellow card for. It was even the guy that kicked him. I wonder why var don't interfere in these. Nonsense officiating."

A third vented: "@PLMatchCentre This means Caicedo is now suspended for the City game. Can you explain what that actually means? This isn’t just a regular yellow card. It’s one that could change Chelsea’s fate. Do you even understand that?"

Elsewhere, a fourth said: "Still can’t understand how Caicedo got a yellow card for this," as a fifth explained: "This is how Caicedo picked up his fifth yellow card and suspended for Man City. So annoying."

Sunday's match could be vital for Manchester City in their endeavours to beat Arsenal to the Premier League title. The Cityzens currently trail the Gunners by five points with a game in hand, and a pair of wins could see the club close the gap or even take pole position, depending on the result of Arsenal's clash with Bournemouth on Saturday, January 3.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will harbour hopes of closing the gap between themselves and City on Sunday, with Pep Guardiola's Sky Blues coming as the only team they have not yet met this season. Last season's results saw the Cityzens pick up a pair of 3-1 and 2-0 wins over the Stamford Bridge elite, with Maresca eager to get the better of his bogey team this time out.