David Luiz has accused referee Kevin Friend of not showing enough authority in Chelsea's two all draw with Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were annoyed at the amount of time being wasted by the Clarets, with goalkeeper Tom Heaton booked for time wasting in just the 32nd minute of the game, the earliest Premier League yellow shown for the offence in nearly five years.
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Despite this, talking to Sky Sports, Luiz felt that the referee should have done more to stamp his authority on the game, and to stop Burnley's 'anti-football' tactics.
“We tried everything to win the game, but it’s difficult playing a team who has two chances, score two goals, but didn’t want to play the game," he said.
“For me, the authority on the pitch is the referee, and when he is not there to try to check what he has to do on the pitch, it’s difficult.
“They were trying to time waste from the first minute of the first half, and then it was anti-football so it’s difficult to play against.”
In a frantic first half, goals from N'golo Kante and Gonzalo Higuain cancelled out an early Jeff Hendrick strike, before a close range finish from Burnley striker Ashley Barnes pulled the Clarets level.
Knowing a point would all but seal their Premier League status for another year, Burnley were happy to see out the game in the second half. Despite 22 shots and 77% of the possession, Chelsea were unable to find a way through Sean Dyche's resilient defence.
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Chelsea assistant manager Gianfranco Zola faced the press after the game, after manager Maurizio Sarri was sent to the stands by referee Friend in the second half. The former Chelsea forward wasn't happy with the amount of time added at the end of the game.
“I think in the second half we didn’t play much football," he said.
“There was a lot of time-wasting and we felt five minutes wasn’t enough to compensate for all the lost time and lost rhythm.
“We are not very happy. I understand Burnley’s approach, but we’re very unhappy. Five minutes wasn’t enough [stoppage time].”
Despite disappointment at the result, the point did take Chelsea above Arsenal into the fourth and final Champions League place, although the Gunners do have a game in hand.
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The Blues are next in action on Sunday when they face a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in what could be a crucial game in the race for the top four.
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