Liverpool vs Chelsea: Tuchel Speaks On James’ Red Card

Chelsea coach, Thomas Tuchel says he is no more aware of the rules surrounding red cards after Reece James' first-half dismissal saw The Blues hold on for a 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday.

The London side were reduced to 10 men when the England international was sent off by referee Anthony Taylor following a VAR check for a deliberate handball on the stroke of half-time, with the full-back having made contact with his upper arm after the ball deflected off his leg.

Tuchel's men managed to cling on for a point at Anfield, however, after Mohamed Salah's subsequent penalty cancelled out Kai Havertz' opener - but the trainer says he remains confused about the legitimacy of James' exit.

"The red card - I'm not even sure anymore if it's the rules or not the rules," the German tactician told BBC Sport. 

"You have to accept the decision. He maybe would have changed his mind with moving pictures.

"In the end it maybe would have stayed the same. I don't like early red cards in general because it spoils the game. In the end it was a tough and hard fight. We showed great resilience and deserved the point.

"We decided to stay in a back five. We wanted to stay active and make it hard to create chances. The first 10 minutes seemed endless. The last five minutes I was actually praying we take what we deserved. It was a hard and a tough one, but a very strong second half defensively."