Ex-Chelsea Stars Townsend & Melchiot : Leon Balogun Should Have Been Sent Off For Foul On Milner

Published: August 25, 2018

Two former Chelsea stars in Andy Townsend and Mario Melchiot reckon that Nigeria international Leon Balogun should have received his marching orders from referee Kavanagh in Brighton & Hove's 1-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening.

Balogun was yellow carded on the hour mark for a late tackle on James Milner and the two ex-Premier League players have suggested that the referee was too lenient on the Nigerian as he didn't get any of the ball when he made the sliding challenge.

Speaking after the game shown on BT Sport, Melchiot stated : ''Just the way he comes in, he is on the way Milner. He (Balogun) comes in, bang.

''When you see it from a different angle, this one is the most dangerous one you see, then you see it could easily be a red card.

''And for me to call it a red card as a defender, you have to be sure it has to be a bad one.This is a bad one.''

Townsend is on the same page as the retired Netherlands international, saying : ''I have to agree with Mario with that, they never look particularly good in slow motion, they don't.

''When you slow it right down and studs are up and you see the impact, but he has gone with so much force there into that challenge, it's potentially a very dangerous one.''

In his final season with Mainz, Balogun received four yellow cards and was dismissed against Hamburg for two bookable offenses.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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