Tottenham fans fume as Reece James escapes red card after Chelsea man catches Udogie with elbow in face
TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS fans have been left fuming after a chaotic first half against Chelsea ended without a red card for Reece James.
In the eleventh minute of added time, and with the game tied at 1-1, Chelsea right-back James appeared to catch Spurs left-back Destiny Udogie with his elbow.
Leaping through the air to win a header towards the touchline, James raised his arms, with his left appearing to hit Udogie across his face.
But after a tense, if brief, VAR check James was allowed to continue.
Spurs fans swiftly flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share in their anger at the decision.
One claimed that Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero’s earlier red card was “clearly wrong,” going on to say: “VAR clearly wrong for that red card, “Reece James should be sent off also.”
A second said: “Clear red card. VAR shocking.”
While a third tweeted: “Reece James should be off aswell,” adding: “Games lost the plot.”
The manic game reached halftime with Spurs down to ten men, having also lost centre back Micky Van De Ven and midfielder James Maddison to injuries.
Spurs also had one goal disallowed, while Chelsea saw three wiped out.
And Udogie too was lucky to escape a red card during the first half after a double-footed lunge on Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling.
Former Manchester United defender turned Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville berated the challenge, saying: “That’s the one the footballers, the professionals hate.
“You don’t do that. That tackle went about 15, 20 years ago. You just don’t do that any more.”
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY…The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheSunFootball and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.