Malo Gusto has come under criticism after he was spotted scuffing the Fulham penalty spot while the referee was distracted with a VAR check.
Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane ended his short tenure with a 2-1 defeat, but they faced an uphill task from the 22nd minute when Marc Cucurella was sent off.
The Spaniard pulled down Harry Wilson near the edge of the area, having failed to deal with a long ball from goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Despite Cucurella’s protests, the referee had little choice but to hand out a straight red card before checks were made as to whether the foul was inside or outside the area.
Malo Gusto Scuffs Fulham Penalty Spot
While the officials were distracted while determining whether Fulham were due a penalty, Gusto took matters into his own hands.
He was caught on camera by a member of the crowd kicking and scuffing the penalty spot, attempting to give his side a slender advantage.
Eventually, a free kick was awarded, but Gusto still came under criticism when the clip was shared online.
Numbers viewers questioned his sportsmanship, while others believe the act should be worthy of a red card.
Liam Rosenior, who plays with a fluid style of play, will take over with the club eighth in the Premier League, having gone five league games without a victory.
Striker Liam Delap cancelled out Raul Jimenez’s opener in the second half before the in-form Wilson fired home the winner nine minutes from time, which added another winner to our Premier League tips.Â
Gusto destroying the penalty spot during VAR check. 2 billion spent and the only thing they’re good at is cheating. #ffc pic.twitter.com/J4CwTmR7TC
— FulhamBone (@FulHambone) January 8, 2026
Liam Rosenior’s biggest Chelsea challenge
One of the biggest challenges facing the new manager will be focusing on the club’s continued disciplinary problems.
Cucurella’s red card was the club’s fifth of the season, and they currently sit at the top of the disciplinary points table.
It’s carried on from the last campaign, when the club picked up 100 yellow cards throughout the season – more than any other club.
Their five red cards picked up after 21 games is also the most at this stage of the season in 11 years.
Leicester City recorded six red cards after as many games during the 1994/95 campaign, while West Brom matched that number in the 2010/11 season.
Chelsea also finished top of the disciplinary table in the 2023/24 campaign after accumulating 107 yellow cards and four reds.
