ESPN Pundit Defends Malo Gusto’s Controversial Tackle in Chelsea’s Win Over Fulham

Chelsea fans breathed a sigh of relief when Malo Gusto escaped a red card for his challenge on Willian in the first half of their 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday. The defender caught the former Chelsea star on the shin with his studs, but referee Anthony Taylor only showed him a yellow card.

The decision sparked a debate among pundits and fans, with some arguing that Gusto should have been sent off for endangering the safety of his opponent. Others, however, defended the Chelsea player, claiming that it was an accidental and not a malicious tackle.

One of the latter was ESPN pundit Steve Nicol, who said on the latest edition of ESPN FC that he did not think it was a red card offence.

“I don’t think it’s red because I think this a complete accident, it reminds me of the Curtis Jones challenge but he got a red card for but everybody thought was a red card so if we’re going by the Curtis Jones one, that’s a red card, I just personally don’t think it is,” Nicol said.

Nicol also criticized Chelsea’s performance, saying that they were lucky to get the three points and that they were a frustrating team to watch.

“I would describe them as lucky for people who never watched it…What a frustrating team to watch,” he said.

Chelsea secured the victory thanks to a penalty from Cole Palmer in added time at the end of the first half, after Issa Diop had fouled Raheem Sterling. The result moved them up to 8th in the Premier League table, but they are still 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.

What do you think? Was Malo Gusto’s tackle a red card or not? Let us know in the comments below.