Cardiff City’s battle against relegation took a severe hit after a controversial 2-1 defeat against Chelsea .
A series of refereeing decisions went against the Bluebirds, sparking manager Neil Warnock into a foul-mouthed tirade on the sidelines followed by an interview where he described the officials as the "worst in the world".
Warnock was right to complain after Cesar Azpilicueta’s late leveller was clearly offside and two fouls on Sean Morrison in the penalty area were missed earlier in the game.
Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger also somehow escaped a red card after pulling down Kenneth Zohore when he only had goalkeeper Kepa to beat.
But pundit Garth Crooks highlighted a tactical change from Warnock as one of the biggest errors on a Sunday of high drama.
With Cardiff leading thanks to a strike from Victor Camarasa, the boss decided to pull off influential midfielder Harry Arter with 12 minutes remaining after he had picked up a second-half booking.
Chelsea then equalised before Ruben Loftus-Cheek fired in a stoppage-time winner.
Crooks, who named Arter in his team of the week in his BBC column , explained: “Neil Warnock substituted his player in order to save him from being sent off after he had been booked.
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“What a bad decision. Managers must let players manage the situation, particularly when they are having such an impact on the game.
“With 79 minutes gone against Chelsea on Sunday, it looked as though Harry Arter had done his job. The Cardiff man had snapped, crackled and popped his way through Chelsea’s entire midfield.”
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Crooks also agreed Warnock would feel let down by the officials, though, adding: “That said, there was nothing Warnock could do about an undetected offside equaliser for Chelsea, and referee Craig Pawson’s decision to allow Antonio Rudiger to stay on the field when other referees might have sent the Germany international off for bringing down Kenneth Zohore.
"Warnock will be climbing the walls!”
