Alan Shearer was among those to criticise Enzo Maresca’s red card after Chelsea’s epic 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Premier League.
Chelsea condemned Liverpool to a third-straight defeat on Saturday, with Estevao Willian’s 96th minute winner sparking jubilant scenes at Stamford Bridge.
Caught up in the moment, Maresca sprinted down the touchline to celebrate with his players and fans, and was therefore shown a yellow card upon his return to the dugout.
The head coach had already been booked in the first-half for dissent after referee Anthony Taylor did not give a penalty when Alejandro Garnacho had gone down in the box under a challenge from Dominik Szoboszlai.
As a result, Taylor had no choice but to give Maresca his marching orders – Chelsea’s fourth red card in their last five games.
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While leaving the technical area is a bookable offence, some felt the sending off was harsh on the Blues boss given the circumstances.
‘I know the laws and rules but come on,’ Premier League legend Alan Shearer said on Match of the Day.
‘You’ve just scored a brilliant late goal, your team has been superb for you under huge pressure and he gets a yellow card for showing that emotion… I don’t get it.’
‘Coaches are human and especially with the pressure that they are under,’ former Chelsea defender and World Cup winner Lebouef added on ESPN.
‘He [Maresca] didn’t do anything bad, it’s not like he was teasing the opponents, he was just celebrating with his players. I remember seeing that with Jose Mourinho in the past and so many others.
‘I think it was unfair and it’s not because it’s the Chelsea coach, it would have been [unfair for] anybody else. I can understand that you feel the pressure being released and you just want to enjoy it.
‘He’s been a player so he knows that how cool it can be. So for me, it was unfair.’
How many games is Enzo Maresca suspended for?
Maresca will only have a one-game touchline ban, meaning he will be in the stands for Chelsea’s trip to struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday, October 18.
Because of the red card, the Italian was unable to perform media duties after Chelsea’s win over Liverpool, with assistant manager Willy Caballero taking over.
‘He’s okay. He cannot be here because of the red card but we’re so happy,’ the former Manchester City and Chelsea goalkeeper said of Maresca in the post-match press conference.
‘He wanted to do the press conference but he also wanted to praise the players for the effort. Not just this week but for weeks we have been holding in emotions.’
Asked if Maresca would be paying a fine because of the red card, Caballero replied: ‘He’s always paying many things for us. In this case, we cannot say nothing for him.
‘But for sure, we will talk about it. I don’t want to do many press conferences!’