Howard Webb provides Ndidi red card verdict as Chelsea are informed of VAR mistake.

Chelsea have been informed by PGMOL chief Howard Webb that Wilfred Ndidi should have been sent off during their Premier League match against Leicester City last month.

Although Chelsea secured a 2-1 victory at King Power Stadium, the match might have been easier for the Blues had the Foxes been reduced to 10 men in the first half.

At the time of Ndidi’s foul on Cole Palmer, Chelsea were already leading by one goal.

However, the Chelsea players believed the foul warranted a red card, yet referee Andy Madley opted for a yellow.

Blues manager Enzo Maresca, who had previously worked with Ndidi, defended his character but suggested that fouls with bad intent should be penalized more harshly.

“I’m not saying Wilf [Ndidi] had bad intentions because I love Wilf,” Maresca stated during a press conference.

“But overall, when there’s bad intention, I think the punishment has to be different.”

The incident, which occurred several weeks ago, has since been scrutinized, with the decision-making process of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) now revealed.

Full VAR Transcript:

REF: “I’m going to go yellow. I think he catches him late. For me, it just lacked the intensity. I think he caught him high on the Achilles.”

VAR: “The actual contact is on the heel. If anything, there’s a bit of a graze. Can we show it at full speed?”

AVAR: “It’s very low. Contact is very, very low.”

VAR: “Just show it at full speed. Okay, so the intensity is not there. I’m going to confirm the on-field decision of a yellow card.”

Following the review, Michael Owen asked Howard Webb for his verdict during Sky Sports’ Match Officials Mic’d Up.

Webb admitted that a red card would have been more appropriate.

“From the outset, I want to say I would’ve given a red card, for two reasons,” Webb explained.

“This is a tackle from behind, and the contact occurs on a vulnerable part of Cole Palmer’s body — near the Achilles.

Initially, the contact is with the instep rather than the studs.

“He comes in with little chance of winning the ball, making contact higher on the leg before sliding down.

The most forceful contact, involving the studs, is on the heel, but there is earlier contact on the Achilles.

“When you consider the way he approached the tackle and where the contact occurred, it aligns more with serious foul play as it endangers Palmer’s safety.”