Chelsea huddle booed by fans ahead of Everton game after referee controversy

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Everton supporters rained down boos as Chelsea huddled near the centre circle at Hill Dickinson stadium, and the Premier League anthem played on. While the Blues' centre circle antics have caught attention in recent weeks , the Toffees ire was perhaps more likely due to the punishment their opponents suffered during the week.

Chelsea were hit with a £10.75million fine and a suspended transfer embargo and academy transfer ban for engaging in “deception and concealment” when making illicit payments. The Blues highlighted issues regarding seven transfers before BlueCo's ownership of the club, but the punishment has been deemed light by many.

Everton were deducted 10 points, later reduced to six, in November 2023 . The Merseyside club were punished for exceeding the PSR threshold by £19.5m for the three-year reporting period ending in 2021/22.

David Moyes was left perplexed by the decision that saw Chelsea not have points deducted. Speaking ahead of his side’s clash with the Blues, he said: “I don’t think they have explained it well enough in the reasoning what the fine was and why it was.

"I think they have to explain exactly what has happened here. If they don’t then we are never going to understand their reasoning why.

“This is me not being anything against Chelsea, absolutely not, I’m just saying that everybody would like to know; Everton supporters, for the pain they had to go through when they had a huge points deduction, and other clubs as well.

“Those points deductions may well have been correct, I don’t know, but we need to see what is the difference? What would you rather have, a £10m fine or a 10-point deduction? The money you get for your league place now, that might cover it.

“It would be good if we could get more of an explanation. How much is the £10m fine having an effect, really?”

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Chelsea's pre-match huddle appeared to be a suitable target for fans in the stands, a week on from seeing referee Paul Tierney surrounded by the Blues' players ahead of facing Newcastle . The official's stand frustrated Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior .

Speaking after his side’s defeat to Newcastle, he said: "I didn't speak to Paul today or his officials. I thought it wasn't the right thing to do today. But I'll be speaking to PGMOL.

"I'll be speaking to the refs and just trying to get an understanding of why that happened today. We were told in the rule book it's about timing. You can be where you want on timing.

"I just want to find a solution to this because we're actually talking about something that's nowhere near as important as what's happening on the pitch."