Wayne Rooney has strongly criticised the officiating in Chelsea’s controversial FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City, claiming the London club were “robbed” during the match.
Chelsea suffered a painful 1-0 defeat in the final, but much of the discussion after the game focused on several disputed decisions involving the referee and VAR.
Rooney believes the officials failed to make the correct calls in key moments that could have changed the outcome of the match.
Speaking after the final, the former Manchester United striker said Chelsea were denied a clear penalty before halftime when defender Khusanov challenged João Pedro inside the penalty area.
“I’ve watched football long enough to know when a team’s been hard done by, and Chelsea were absolutely robbed today,” Rooney said.
“The first incident on Joao Pedro before halftime is a penalty for me all day long. Khusanov doesn’t go for the ball, he goes straight through the man.”
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Rooney also questioned another second-half incident involving Moisés Caicedo and Jérémy Doku, arguing that Chelsea should have received another penalty after Doku appeared to catch the midfielder during an attacking move.
The former England captain further raised concerns over a possible handball involving O’Reilly from an Enzo Fernández cross.
According to Rooney, football fans continue to struggle with inconsistent handball decisions in modern football.
“What frustrated me most was the reaction from the officials,” Rooney added. “No urgency, no proper review, no referee going over to the monitor. In a cup final, with moments that big, you have to get them right.”
