Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin viewed Chalobah’s challenge as “risky with bells on it” while commentating on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Chalobah never got the ball, [it was] a shoulder challenge on Gordon [and] a big call for the referee to not give a penalty.”
Former Premier League striker Peter Crouch, speaking on TNT Sports, said Chalobah was “lucky” after his “aggressive attempt” to win the ball, while former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole described the tackle as “overzealous”.
Cann, who retired in April having overseen more than 1,000 professional matches, said: “At normal speed I can understand why the referee didn’t award a penalty. Chalobah certainly takes a risk in making such a challenge because there’s clear contact with Gordon.
“So the decision was right to be reviewed by VAR, who came to the conclusion that a clear and obvious error had not been made and stayed with the on-field decision of no penalty.
“I do think that had a penalty been given, I believe the VAR would have stuck with that decision too. So this comes down to ‘referee’s call’.
Cann added: “I think it would be a useful addition to the armoury of VAR, on the occasions when unusual incidents such as this occur, to have the facility to say ‘this one is in the margins, so you might want to take a second look yourself’ to the referee.
“However, it is important to stress this facility is not currently available to VARs. Currently, the VAR can only instruct the referee to go to the pitchside monitor for what he deems to be a clear and obvious error.”
