Were Chelsea fortunate not to concede penalty for bizarre Trevoh Chalobah handball during goal-kick routine against Burnley in Premier League game?

Burnley felt they ought to have been awarded a first-half penalty against Chelsea when Trevoh Chalobah handled the ball inside the area during Robert Sanchez's goal-kick routine at Turf Moor. Referee Peter Bankes took a lenient approach as Chelsea were let off the hook. Last season, Aston Villa were punished in similar circumstances in their UEFA Champions League match against Club Brugge.

Should Burnley have had a penalty for handball?

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Burnley had claims for a penalty turned down during Saturday's Premier League home encounter with Chelsea - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - but were Enzo Maresca's side fortunate not to be punished?

Midway through the first half at Turf Moor, The Clarets had spot-kick appeals dismissed by referee Peter Bankes after a bizarre incident involving Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and defender Trevoh Chalobah.

It appeared as though Sanchez had taken the restart from a goal-kick when he played the ball a couple of yards to the left with his feet to Chalobah.

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The England international immediately handled the ball, before gesturing to the match official that Burnley forward Zian Flemming had encroached inside the box.

However, replays showed that Flemming was in fact outside the area when Sanchez appeared to signal that play had been resumed. Referee Bankes was unmoved as both Flemming and team-mate Loum Tchaouna appealed for a penalty against Chalobah.

Home supporters inside the ground had certainly noticed the potential infringement and voiced their displeasure at Bankes' refusal to punish Chelsea with what would have been one of the softest means of conceding a penalty.

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TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher said: "The crowd are making the suggestion there that Sanchez had kicked it towards Chalobah, who then put his hand on the ball but Peter Bankes wasn't interested in it.

"You can see why Burnley are appealing for it. It is one of those, where in the opinion of Sanchez, he's restarted the game, but the opinion of Peter Bankes is that he hasn't yet."

Co-commentator Lucy Ward added: "Burnley are saying [the goal-kick] was started by Sanchez, and it does look like he did."

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Speaking at half-time, TNT Sports pundit Joleon Lescott agreed that on another day, Burnley might have been awarded a penalty.

The former Man City and England centre-back said: "If a penalty is given, I don't think anyone is asking any questions. What has saved Chelsea here, is that Sanchez doesn't put his hand on the ball in the six-yard box, which would indicate that it's a fresh restart.

"The referee then can allow Chalobah to make that decision. But if Chalobah had allowed that ball to run across his body and he plays it straight to Marc Cucurella, the referee would have allowed play to go on. Chelsea have slightly got away with one."

It would not have been the first time that a penalty had been given in such circumstances, with a similar example having a different outcome in the UEFA Champions League as recently as last season.

Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings was punished for handling at the restart against Club Brugge, leading to Hans Vanaken scoring from the penalty spot.

Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez passed the ball to Mings, who was standing a few feet away as the rest of the defensive line started to push up.

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But Mings inexplicably did not realise the ball had been passed, picking it up off the ground and popping it back down for his keeper. The referee spotted the anomaly immediately and indicated a handball, before sending it to be checked by VAR.

It proved a calamitous and costly error as Villa slumped to their first defeat in last season's competition.

There was another incident of this kind during the 2023/24 Champions League season when Arsenal defender Gabriel was not punished for a lapse in concentration when he handled at the restart against Bayern Munich.

After collecting a goal-kick pass from David Raya in the 66th minute of The Gunners' tie with the Bundesliga giants, the Brazilian defender leant down to pick up and reposition the ball before referee Glenn Nyberg took no further action.

England boss Thomas Tuchel, manager of Bayern at the time, said afterwards: "For me, for all of us, he made a huge mistake not giving the handball penalty.

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"I know it is a crazy situation but they put the ball down, he whistles, he gives the ball and the defender takes the ball in his hand.

"What makes us really angry is the explanation on the field. He told our players that it is a 'kid's mistake' and he will not give a penalty like this in a quarter-final.

"This is a horrible, horrible explanation. He is judging handballs. Kid's mistake, adult's mistake. Whatever. We feel angry because it is a huge decision against us."

Chelsea took full advantage of their reprieve on Saturday as Pedro Neto's diving header gave the visitors a slender advantage at the break.

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