Enzo Maresca defends Leicester City star after red card decision

Enzo Maresca has played down talk that Wilfred Ndidi should have been sent off in Leicester City's Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.

Ndidi was booked for a challenge on Cole Palmer in the first-half after scraping his foot down the England international's right Achilles tendon. Despite protests from the Chelsea players, Ndidi escaped a red card.

The Video Assistant Referee opted against intervening after Andy Madley's original decision. Reports from football.london claim a red card wasn't issued because Ndidi's challenge came from a short distance and 'lacked intensity'.

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Joe Cole claimed on TNT Sport that the Nigeria international should have been sent off. However, speaking immediately after the game, Maresca insisted the referee's decision was the right one.

"I think, I said after the Manchester United game, when there is bad intention, I think there has to be a different punishment from the referee," he said. "The Man United one [Lisandro Martinez on Palmer] had bad intentions.

"I'm not saying Wilf [Ndidi] had bad intentions because I love Wilf. But overall, when there are bad intentions, the punishment has to be different."

Asked further whether he thought Ndidi should have been sent off, he replied: "I don't think so. The other one, for me, is a red [card]."

Did you think Wilfred Ndidi was fortunate to escape a red card against Chelsea? Have your say in the comments...