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Jamie Redknapp and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in heated clash over Chelsea penalty vs Arsenal
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink could not agree on Chelsea's penalty against Arsenal.
Pochettino believes Chelsea are 'building something'
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink got into a heated argument at half-time of Chelsea's clash with Arsenal as a result of the awarding of the Blues' penalty. After a VAR check, Gunners' defender William Saliba was adjudged to have handled the ball before Cole Palmer converted from the spot to give the hosts the lead at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Hasselbaink felt that the penalty was the correct decision as the defender's arm was in an 'unnatural position' but Redknapp argued over where Saliba was supposed to put his arm.
Former Chelsea striker Hasselbaink began by explaining: "I think it’s a penalty. It’s a good cross into the box and what (Mykhaylo) Mudryk does is he comes across the defender and heads the ball. For me, it’s an unnatural position for the defender and how he’s going and where he is putting his arm. Now, the rules leave a grey area but we have seen now they are giving penalties for this kind of situation."
Before Redknapp fired back, arguing: "I need to come in here. You say it’s an unnatural position, how are you meant to jump then? You can’t jump like that." To which Hasselbaink replied: "Yes, but you can’t jump like you are flying like an aeroplane."
The pair continued to go back and forth as they were unable to find common ground over the controversial decision. Hasselbaink's frustration began to show when he told Redknapp 'let me speak' having felt that his colleague was interrupting him too often.
Redknapp then listened to his fellow pundit's view before firing back: "Yes, but you have to use your arms to give you balance. That’s not unnatural. The proximity of the ball, it is hitting him from one yard away - how can that be a handball? He has to jump to try and win the ball.
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"If we're getting to the point where that is handball, the game is in trouble" ������
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 21, 2023
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Jamie Redknapp disagree over the penalty decision ������ pic.twitter.com/q7pAVldjSl
"If that cross comes in from Raheem Sterling and he misjudges the cross and it hits him on the hand, that’s a penalty. He has headed that from half a yard away, what is he meant to do? If we are getting to the point where that is a penalty, the game is in trouble."
They continued arguing over the spot-kick before host Kelly Cates informed them that they needed to move on from the topic and discuss the game's other talking points.
After the drama of the awarding of the penalty, Palmer took the ball away from Raheem Sterling after Enzo Fernandez's intervention and sent David Raya the wrong way - before Mudryk doubled his side's lead in the second half with a cross-cum-shot that looped over the Arsenal goalkeeper.