Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson sounds his frustration after the 4-2 FA Cup defeat to Chelsea as he believes the Reds’ effort should’ve seen the game enter the penalty shootouts to decide the winner.
The FA Cup clash between Wrexham and Chelsea is going down in history as one of the most dramatic Cup encounters. While it saw both sides celebrate at different moments, neither side left the pitch content.
For Chelsea and Liam Rosenior, Wrexham proved to be a far tougher Cup opponent than they had anticipated. Though the Chelsea boss had expressed his admiration for the Reds’ story ahead of the clash, it’s unlikely he would have foreseen Wrexham going toe-to-toe with them.
On the other hand, it was a bittersweet end to a memorable evening for the home fans. While the supporters, club staff, and co-owners all waxed lyrical over Wrexham’s effort, they knew they deserved much more than a Cup exit.
Post-match, boss Phil Parkinson didn’t hesitate to put his heartfelt feelings to the media. In a long conversation, Parky mentioned: “We deserved at the very least to go to penalties and some big decisions have gone against us.”
Additionally, Parkinson expressed his frustration over some VAR calls, saying: “Referee has got to back his judgement in real time. I can’t complain about the offside but the red card is a tough decision and I don’t agree.”
2 reasons why Phil Parkinson was frustrated after Chelsea defeat
Wrexham deserved a penalty shootout Vs Chelsea
Though Wrexham entered the FA Cup tie on the back of a strong form, few expected them to put in such an impressive display. A performance so gritty and inspiring that it might’ve left even hardcore fans surprised.
Be it for Sam Smith’s leading goal or Callum Doyle’s 2-1 in the second half, Wrexham never trailed behind Chelsea in the regular 90 minutes. While the Blues won the clash in extra time, their 4-2 win involved several controversial moments.
Firstly, George Dobson’s yellow card was upgraded to a straight red after VAR’s intervention. In the second and the most decisive call of the game, Wrexham’s 3-3 equaliser was chalked off despite pundits like Micah Richards feeling otherwise.
As evident from Parky’s address, the manager wasn’t happy with these specific calls. According to him, Wrexham’s gritty effort against World Champions Chelsea should’ve been rewarded with the game going to penalties at least.
That’s not forgetting how a handball call wasn’t given in Wrexham’s favour. Though Phil Parkinson didn’t explicitly mention this incident, the manager likely referred to this incident in the big decisions that went against his side.
In the 62nd minute, Wrexham won a corner as they looked to take the lead. While it wasn’t the best of deliveries from George Dobson, the rebound fell to the in-form Ollie Rathbone.
Rathbone swung his left foot, but the shot was blocked by Chelsea substitute Marc Guiu. In real time, it looked like a clear handball, and Wrexham supporters and players roared with a strong appeal for referee Peter Bankes to point to the spot.
However, the on-field referee continued the play, and Wrexham got unlucky in a crucial call that could’ve changed the result altogether.
Dobson didn’t deserve a send-off as per Phil Parkinson
The second call that had Phil Parkinson fuming on the night was George Dobson’s send-off orders.
In the stoppage time, Chelsea forward Garnacho broke into a dangerous counterattack. While the forward still stood far from the final third, he had already encompassed multiple defenders like Max Cleworth in the play.
This put the responsibility on George Dobson to stop Garnacho from scoring a late winner. The defensive midfielder ran at full speed to lung in at the Chelsea forward and broke the counterattack.
On any day, the foul deserved a card, and Wrexham fans were wise not to overreact when Dobson was shown a yellow. It was only after the referee decided to review the call with VAR and upgrade it to a direct red that the whole Racecourse erupted in protest.
As Parky mentioned, he didn’t have many issues with Wrexham’s disallowed equaliser. However, as per him, Peter Bankes should’ve backed his initial call to issue a booking on Dobson’s challenge and continued the play thereafter.
The decision remains subjective whether the call was right or wrong, but Dobson’s red card proved to be a turning point in the Wrexham Vs Chelsea FA Cup contest.
While a send-off for Dobson gave Chelsea a one-man advantage, the absence of a passionate midfielder like him affected Wrexham’s spirit. Eventually, Wrexham had lost the game even before Garnacho or Joao Pedro scored in the extra time to win the knockout for Chelsea.
