Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has been sent for knee scans following a tough tackle from Lisandro Martinez during their 1-1 draw with Manchester United, Soccernet.football reports.
Martinez’s studs caught Palmer’s knee in the closing stages of the game, but the referee only issued a yellow card. VAR did not recommend a review, allowing the United defender to remain on the field of play.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was visibly frustrated with the decision not to dismiss the Argentine, especially as Palmer reportedly limped out of Old Trafford and later experienced pain upon returning to London.
As reported by The Telegraph, Palmer is set to undergo scans to assess the severity of the injury before Sunday’s clash with Arsenal.
Chelsea officials remain hopeful that he has avoided internal damage and could feature against Arsenal, however, his availability will hinge on the scan results.
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett was among those questioning why a red card was not shown for the challenge.
“The type of tackle Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez unleashed on Chelsea’s Cole Palmer should be outlawed from football before a player is seriously injured,” he wrote via The Telegraph.
“The landing area of the boot was on Palmer’s knee and quite clearly it endangered the player’s safety. Referee Rob Jones was in a good position to view the incident and decided yellow.
“He probably concluded that there was insufficient force behind Martinez’s challenger to warrant a stronger sanction.
“That for me was a clear and obvious error and VAR should have asked the referee to go and review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.”