Chelsea should not have been awarded a penalty for handball in their 3-1 win at Crystal Palace last month, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has said. With Chelsea leading 2-0, Palace defender Jaydee Canvot blocked Joao Pedro's goal-bound shot with his arm. Referee Darren England allowed play to continue but was sent to the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee (VAR), Matt Donohue. The five members of the KMI Panel unanimously voted that the original on-field decision was correct and it was a mistake for the VAR to intervene. The KMI Panel felt the VAR intervention was incorrect because Canvot "is not making his body unnaturally bigger" and that there was a "small deflection off the hip".

Source: BBC February 09, 2026 15:45 UTC