Jamie Carragher has criticised Ben Chilwell for his sending off during Chelsea’s defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final. The match saw Real Madrid take control of the tie with a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio. Chilwell was sent off after pulling back Rodrygo on the edge of the penalty area, preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity. Carragher argued that Chilwell should have allowed Rodrygo to run through and take his chance against Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, rather than giving away a red card and leaving Chelsea with ten men.
Carragher also criticised Marc Cucurella’s positioning, which allowed Rodrygo to burst through the heart of the Chelsea back line. He argued that Cucurella should have changed his body position to run back and fill the space left by a centre-back stepping out, rather than standing still and allowing Rodrygo to get past him. Carragher acknowledged that defenders cannot always be tight and aggressive against rapid players like Rodrygo, but argued that they must react quickly and change the pace of the game to keep up with their opponents.
Chelsea’s interim boss Frank Lampard has had a difficult start to his second spell as head coach, with back-to-back defeats against Wolves and Real Madrid. The team now faces a home game against Brighton before hosting Real Madrid in the second leg of their European tie at Stamford Bridge. Despite the setbacks, there is still hope for Chelsea to turn things around and progress in the competition.