Chelsea and Senegal goaltender Edouard Mendy is of the opinion that his countryman Sadio Mane should have received a red card during their clash on Sunday.
The pair went toe to toe when their sides clashed in a keenly contested encounter at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening.
Sadio Mane elbowed Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta less than a minute after the game began in London but only saw a yellow issued by referee Anthony Taylor.
“Sadio is my brother, my compatriot. But he should not have stayed on the pitch after one minute.” The former Rennes shotstopper said after the game.
Sadio Mane stayed on the pitch and eventually opened scoring for his side rounding up Mendy before netting the opener.
The Reds doubled their lead courtesy of topscorer Mohammed Salah but goals from Mateo Kovacic and Christan Pulisic meant both sides settled for a 2-2 draw.
Also Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was left red faced as he also shared the sentiment that Mane should have been gotten his marching orders.
“I am not a friend of early red cards. I hate to say it because I love Mane and he is a nice guy and top player, but it is a red card.
“The elbow is in the face – it doesn’t matter if you do this after 20 seconds or 20 minutes.” Tuchel said.
The draw saw Manchester City who had beaten Londoners Arsenal 2-1 the day before open a 10-point gap between them and second placed Chelsea as the title race seems all but lost by the blues and the reds.
Chelsea have a chance to restore their chances when they face Pep Guardiola’s men in their next game.
However, they will be without Edouard Mendy who has jetted off alongside Sadio Mane to Cameroon to team up with the rest of the Senegalese squad for the Africa Cup of Nations this month.
OJB SPORT 