Chelsea were awarded an indirect free-kick inside Aston Villa’s penalty area during the first half of their Premier League match on Sunday afternoon. The rare decision came after Villa’s goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, handled the ball following a back pass from his teammate Pau Torres, which came after Martinez had initially saved a powerful shot from Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.
This situation prompted a closer look at the rule that led to the free-kick being awarded, as opposed to a penalty, which is the more common decision for fouls inside the penalty area. Typically, penalties are given for most fouls within the box, but in this case, the handling offense by Martinez, following the back pass, was deemed an indirect free-kick offense.
The match saw Chelsea take the lead early in the game. Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring in the seventh minute after a well-timed pass from Marc Cucurella, who had worked his way down the left wing. Jackson finished by beating Martinez at the near post to register his eighth goal of the season. Later, Chelsea had another opportunity to extend their lead when Cole Palmer dispossessed Youri Tielemans and fired a shot at goal. However, Martinez saved the shot, and after Pau Torres’ cushioned back pass, the goalkeeper handled the ball, leading to the indirect free-kick.
