The Chelsea boss believes Monday’s loss to Manchester United would have been a much different game if the defender was dismissed
Frank Lampard blasted VAR on Monday after Harry Maguire was not sent off following a controversial kick-out at Michy Batshuayi.
After battling for a ball that eventually went out of play, Maguire fell to the ground with Batshuayi running in behind him.
The defender then extended his leg, catching the Chelsea striker below the belt right in front of the Chelsea bench.
Following a review, Maguire was not sent off for the incident, and the Manchester United defender went on to score the second goal in the Red Devils’ 2-0 win.
It wasn’t the only review of the match, though, as Chelsea had two goals of their own wiped away following VAR checks.
And Lampard says that the England centre-back shouldn’t have been on the field to score that goal as he felt his side were hard done by reviews on Monday evening.
“Harry Maguire should have been sent off, that’s clear, and that obviously changes the game.
“[Cesar] Azpilicueta gets shoved [into Brandon Williams] so [Antonio Rudiger’s] goal should stand. Giroud was a toenail offside and that one I understand. That’s the rule now.
“I don’t get why they aren’t looking at the monitor. It should be used.”
While Batshuayi was involved in one of the game’s crucial moments, he wasn’t able to find the back of the net on the night.
The Belgian only has one goal in 15 Premier League matches, with one in four Champions League matches as well, and Lampard says that Chelsea needs more from the forward.
“It was a tough night for Batshuayi,” Lampard said. “Strikers are judged on goals, it’s a fact.
“We need goals from forward areas and we haven’t had that this season. We can’t rely on Tammy Abraham all season. You get judged as an attacker on goals.”
The loss pulls Chelsea back towards the chasing pack, with the Blues firmly out of the top-three race behind Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester.
While Manchester City’s recent UEFA punishment could certainly shake up the push for Champions League spots, the Blues only sit one point ahead of fifth-place Tottenham, two points ahead of sixth-place Sheffield United and three points ahead of seventh-place Manchester United.
In fact, fourth-place Chelsea are only seven points away from 10th and 11th-placed Arsenal and Burnley, respectively, with 12 Premier League matches remaining.
Because of that, Monday’s loss was a particularly frustrating one for Lampard and Chelsea, who find themselves in a battle for the top four.
“It’s tough to take on lots of levels, some footballing, some others. It’s football and it’s life. I’m not complaining about any work ethic from the lads, their heads are down in there. It’s a tough night for us.
“It’s not a 2-0 game. We have a feeling of Groundhog Day in the stadium. I don’t know how many shots we had but it was a lot. If we don’t score, you can’t win football games. They get clearer every week. We are fourth and the season starts here. People didn’t expect us to be fourth but we are.
“We are fourth because of some of the good stuff we have done and because of the nature of the league with everyone taking points off each other. I’m not soft, I can criticise the team. We can bemoan our luck sometimes, yes, but if we are not finishing chances we can’t win games. I feel like a broken record.”
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