Chelsea star Sam Kerr received a yellow card for flattening a pitch invader during the Blues’ 0-0 Champions League draw with Juventus in London on Wednesday.
The man, who ran onto the pitch and was trying to take a picture with Chelsea captain Magdalena Eriksson, was greeted with the Australia international’s shoulder and left sprawling on the ground — much to the crowd’s delight.
Sam Kerr did not take kindly to a pitch invader at Chelsea’s Champions League game against Juventus – flattening him with a firm shoulder.
Kerr was handed a yellow card for rough conduct after the incident, with the game ending in a 0-0 draw. #9News pic.twitter.com/XYSFNBsHsz
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) December 9, 2021
Those cheers turned to boos, however, when Kerr was booked by referee Swedish referee Sara Persson, much to the bemusement of Chelsea manager Emma Hayes.
“He could have waited until the end for a photograph if he really wanted one. But jokes aside, we do have to think about player safety,” Hayes said.
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“We’ve seen in the growth of the game there is this sense of the players being more in demand. It should serve as a reminder to us all in our stadiums and with our stewards we’ve got to put player protection first.”
Chelsea missed out the opportunity to seal qualification for the Champions League knockout stages with a game to spare as they were held by the Italian side at Kingsmeadow.
The Blues, who defeated Arsenal to win the FA Cup at Wembley on Sunday, missed several chances in the stalemate — the first time they have failed to score in a match this season.
Chelsea remain top of Group A and are three points clear of second-place Wolfsburg. They will qualify for the quarterfinals if they avoid defeat away to the German side on the final round of fixtures next week.
“We’re in the driving seat [to qualify] going into the last game in the position we want to be in,” Hayes said.
“I thought we looked a little tired but I think that’s to be expected. I think we had the toughest group — to be sitting at the top of the group right now, I’m really happy about that.”