Havertz Did It Again + VAR Drama.
When Rio Ferdinand said that Kai Havertz had already paid his transfer fee for Chelsea, a lot of people questioned why he had to say something like that and I understand where Rio was coming from. Kai Havertz has proved to be a game-changer and a big-time player for Chelsea. Sometimes, he singlehandedly won games for them with his wonderful eyes for goals. He seems to be everywhere as he pops up when you least expect.
His technical ability on the ball, his control, his finishing, his header, his ability to play with others cannot be overemphasized. He won the UEFA Champions League for Chelsea with his goal against Manchester City, he won the Club World Cup for them too, amongst many of the important goals he has scored for Chelsea that proved decisive. The recent one was to break the hearts of Newcastle United fans after ending their unbeaten run in the 90th minute with a cleverly taken goal.
His control for that goal was everything. It speaks a lot because that first touch made all the difference after he received the long pass. He timed his run well, beat his marker with precision, touched the ball, controlled it well and guided it beyond the goalkeeper to give Chelsea the win and the 3 points too. What a player he has proven to be for Chelsea even when he doesn't even look it.
Chelsea needed the 3 points at this crucial stage of the season and due to the off-field issues involving the club, they needed something to cheer about and who else other than Havertz! He keeps justifying why Lukaku isn't getting the start he craved for and that he has been used to. I tweeted when he scored questioning why it wasn't Lukaku making those runs. Lukaku was nowhere in sight even and that shows Havertz had the hunger, the determination and the will to win this game and he did. You would expect someone fresh off the bench like Lukaku making those runs.
You can understand why Newcastle United fans are angry because no one wants to end their unbeaten run, especially in a competitive league as the English Premier League. They want to keep that momentum going because a defeat can knock you back many points to undo the points you think you have gathered. They are well-positioned in the league now after those winning runs but they must not relent so they can pull clear towards the business end of the season.
The major concern and the turning point of the game was the VAR decision not to award a penalty for Chalobah's pull on Murphy inside the box. It was a blatant penalty but how the VAR or the referee decided that it wasn't a penalty is what's shocking to most viewers. Rivalry aside, no one wants to see that decision go against any team especially when it wasn't a dive. VAR was introduced to make things better but as it is, they are using it to make decisions they want to go their way and that's disheartening.
We saw the day before how Eric Dier's penalty wasn't given in favour of Manchester United because they claimed his arms were behind. Did it redirect the ball from going a certain way or not? Absolutely, it did. Alex Telles' penalty was never a debate anyway because that was the right call. The shocking one that was made again by VAR was the Brighton v Liverpool game. I can't believe the goalkeeper wasn't sent off for that challenge on Luis Diaz. They found a way to absolve him from getting a red card by saying his legs only hit his upper body towards the chest and tummy... Seriously?
It seems to me that the people behind the VAR operates plainly on emotions and the views of those behind the screen rather than by the rules of the game. There is no question about it, that tussle with Murphy by Chalobah should have been a penalty and that would have tilted the game in favour of Newcastle United who desperately needs points to stay in the league. This is not to overshadow the incredible goal scored by Havertz anyway.
Thank you for your time.
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