Chelsea secured an important win against Manchester United to earn three points in the Premier League, and it was a fixture that included a couple of interventions from VAR.
The most important thing is that the Blues picked up a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge thanks to Marc Cucurella’s seventh goal of the season.
It means that Enzo Maresca’s side, who currently sit fourth in the Premier League, know they will secure Champions League qualification if they win away against Nottingham Forest on the final day of the league season.
Chris Kavanagh was the referee for Chelsea’s home fixture against Man Utd, but Craig Pawson, on VAR, had to intervene more than once.
First, Harry Maguire’s goal in the first half was disallowed because he was marginally offside.
In the second half, Kavanagh pointed to the penalty spot after a collision between Chelsea attacker Tyrique George and Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana in the penalty box. However, the referee overturned his on-field decision after being directed to the monitor by VAR.
Incidentally, Blues head coach Enzo Maresca praised Tyrique George for his efforts when leading the line against Man Utd.
Mark Clattenburg agrees with VAR overturning Chelsea’s penalty vs Manchester United
Mark Clattenburg, the former Premier League referee, explained that VAR was used very successfully in Friday night’s top-flight match.
Clattenburg has exclusively told The Chelsea Chronicle that he thinks the officials came to the right decision to overturn Chelsea’s penalty against Man Utd because replays showed Onana didn’t foul George.
On the overturned penalty, he said: “Chris Kavanagh awarded Chelsea a penalty for a foul by Andre Onana on Tyrique George. This is where VAR earns its rewards, as it’s clear on the replay that after George gets a slight touch on the ball, Onana makes a clear contact with his hands on the ball which makes it change direction and any contact after was in the act of saving the ball.
“The VAR knew this was a clear and obvious error from the referee and recommended a review to change the original decision which was the correct call.”
Thankfully, Chelsea broke the deadlock shortly after the decision to award a penalty was correctly overturned. Blues left-back Cucurella powered in a thunderous header to convert a Reece James cross.
Glenn Hoddle showered Marc Cucurella with praise after Chelsea’s win against Man Utd for the way he’s managed to turn his career around in West London.
Chelsea rank high for most penalties received in the Premier League
Even though Chelsea missed out on a spot-kick against Man Utd, they’ve done quite well at winning penalties this season.
Here is a look at the record for every Premier League club across the 2024/25 campaign.
| Club | Penalties received | Penalties scored |
| Liverpool | 9 | 9 |
| Bournemouth | 7 | 6 |
| Aston Villa | 6 | 3 |
| Newcastle United | 6 | 5 |
| Brighton | 6 | 6 |
| Chelsea | 5 | 4 |
| Brentford | 5 | 5 |
| Crystal Palace | 4 | 3 |
| Fulham | 4 | 3 |
| Manchester City | 3 | 2 |
| Tottenham | 3 | 2 |
| Leicester | 3 | 2 |
| Manchester United | 3 | 3 |
| Nottingham Forest | 3 | 3 |
| West Ham | 3 | 3 |
| Southampton | 2 | 0 |
| Arsenal | 2 | 2 |
| Ipswich Town | 2 | 2 |
| Everton | 2 | 2 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 0 |
Cole Palmer missed a penalty against Leicester City back in March when his spot-kick was saved by Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen. Remarkably, it’s the only time he’s not scored from 12 yards in his senior career.
