Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has taken a swipe at Craig Pawson for his officiating during Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa over the weekend.

The Blues were denied a last-minute winner by the official after VAR identified a foul in the lead-up to Axel Disasi's goal. Villa seemed set to steamroll Chelsea when they took a 2-0 lead at half-time, courtesy of an own goal from Marc Cucurella and a stunning solo effort from playmaker Morgan Rogers.

However, a rousing half-time speech from Mauricio Pochettino seemed to ignite the Blues, with Noni Madueke reducing the deficit in the 62nd minute. Conor Gallagher then bent a superb shot into the top corner to equalise with nine minutes remaining, and Chelsea believed they had clinched it late on.

The Blues squad erupted in celebration when Disasi headed his close-range header past substitute goalkeeper Robin Olsen following a cross from Benoit Badiashile. However, their joy was short-lived when Pawson was prompted to review a clash between Diego Carlos and Badiashile, with the latter deemed to have pushed the defender in the back to gain an advantage when battling for the ball.

The decision sparked outrage from Pochettino and his team, with former referee Halsey pointing the finger at Pawson for not initially awarding a free kick to Villa. Speaking to The Sun, he explained: "I was baffled why VAR got involved because it wasn't a clear and obvious error.

"Referee Craig Pawson had a great view of the incident, he was looking directly at both players and allowed play to continue. If Pawson thought it was a foul by Benoit Badiashile on Diego Carlos then why didn't he award a free-kick straight away?

"I felt it was a foul but Pawson had to give it in real-time and then there wouldn't have been a fuss afterwards. My big problem with this incident is it's a classic case of technology re-refereeing a game and not what VAR is there for.

"VAR official Chris Kavanagh recommended an on-field review and Pawson changed his mind. I've watched Pawson for a long time and he does not seem to make the big decisions and uses VAR as a back-up.

"Although we got the right decision, the process of how we got there is not how we should be operating VAR in the Premier League."

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