Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes that Anthony Taylor made the correct call in brandishing a red card to Moises Caicedo during Chelsea’s draw with London rivals Arsenal. The dismissal occurred just before half-time in a fiery encounter at Stamford Bridge that repeatedly threatened to erupt.

Taylor had established his authority early by dishing out several yellow cards for robust tackles, leaving defenders treading on thin ice for most of the match. Caicedo, desperate to stamp his mark on proceedings, was overzealous as he lunged into a challenge on Mikel Merino in the middle of the pitch.

The midfielder completely missed the ball and caught the Arsenal player above the boot, with both men requiring medical attention whilst play continued.

The official initially went back to book Caicedo, before VAR advised him to review the seriousness of the tackle.

Taylor eventually reversed his original verdict, upgrading the punishment from yellow to red, as the Chelsea midfielder was sent off.

Various opinions have emerged regarding whether it was the correct decision, but former official Gallagher believes it was spot on.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, he said: “When you see the tackle, it is bad. It’s a red card. All I can think is that Anthony [Taylor] doesn’t see the point of contact. VAR has done him a massive favour because it’s alerted him to have a look. He’s had one look and given the red card.”

Ex-player Jay Bothroyd reached an agreement with Gallagher on the red card, though he raised several concerns about the referee’s calls during the match.

He said: “The challenge is a red card challenge. It was aggressive, but I don’t think he tried to hurt Merino.

“I think it was more reckless or clumsy. Anthony Taylor played advantage. He didn’t look at that and think it was worthy of a yellow card. Why does he give him a yellow if he hasn’t seen it?”

Gallagher replied: “He’s seen the foul. In his view, he can always come back for a yellow card. If it’s a red card, you’re not going to play advantage. I think he hasn’t seen the point of contact. That’s the key issue. The game’s gone on. He’s come back, stopped play for the throw in and VAR has said you should come and have a look at this.”

Bothroyd then added: “If I keep making mistakes as a football player, sooner or later I am going to be taken out the team. Sometimes there has to be consequences for continuous bad decisions [from the referees].”

That wasn’t the sole controversial moment requiring scrutiny during the encounter, with Chelsea believing the numbers should have been evened up at some stage.

One particular flashpoint saw Arsenal‘s Piero Hincapie catch Trevoh Chalobah as both players jumped to contest an aerial ball, leaving the Blues defender with a visible gash on his face.

On that call, Gallagher said: “I think this is a yellow card. You have to be careful not to be seduced by looking at [Chalobah’s] cheek. You have to judge the challenge. Hincapie has leapt and used his arm as leverage, he hasn’t swung his elbow or used it as a weapon. It is a flailing arm and an unfortunate injury, but it is a reckless challenge, not a challenge where he has gone in to hurt him.”

It captured the essence of an encounter brimming with intensity from both teams, as they pursued their Premier League title ambitions this campaign.

Chelsea could have narrowed the deficit at the top of the table with victory, and despite being reduced to 10 men, they seized the advantage through Chalobah’s close-range header from a corner.

The Blues persevered and made life exceptionally difficult for Arsenal, who ultimately managed to find their equaliser through Merino.

Whilst both clubs created opportunities to claim all three points, neither could find the decisive goal, leaving Chelsea and Arsenal to share the spoils.

This result means Enzo Maresca‘s squad remains six points adrift of the leaders and dropped to third position behind Manchester City, though there will be satisfaction in how the team secured a point with such a commanding display.

“I think sometimes you have to be happy even with one point,” the Chelsea boss said. “For sure, the target was to win the game. Again, 11v11, I think we were a better team than them. We managed the game, we controlled the game, we created chances and we didn’t concede anything. Then the red card changed a little bit the dynamic, but even with that, I think the way the players dealt with that and were outstanding.”