According to a report by Football London on Tuesday November 10, 2026, Chelsea’s narrow defeat against Sunderland sparked controversy, particularly over a challenge on Cole Palmer that went unpunished. The winger appeared to be fouled by Luke O’Nien inside the penalty area during Sunday's match.

Referee Jarred Gillett allowed play to continue, while VAR declined to intervene. Sunderland later received a penalty after Levi Colwill made minimal contact with Brian Brobbey, and Enzo Le Fee converted confidently there.

That decision proved decisive, securing Sunderland a 1-0 victory and intensifying Chelsea’s growing frustration. Former referee Dermot Gallagher subsequently defended the officials’ handling of Palmer’s incident, prompting strong criticism from former Chelsea player Jody Morris publicly online today.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Gallagher argued that Gillett had already penalised Sunderland midfielder Jules Ahoka before O’Nien challenged Palmer. He therefore believed the referee could not award another penalty in his television analysis.

“The referee gives a foul against Ahoka here,” Gallagher explained, insisting the initial decision had stopped play. He added that subsequent contact mattered only if it involved violent conduct or serious foul play.

Gallagher maintained that Ahoka committed the original offence and O’Nien’s challenge happened afterwards. However, fellow pundits Tim Sherwood and Jay Bothroyd rejected that interpretation, believing Chelsea deserved a spot-kick during the television discussion.

The explanation also attracted scrutiny because Gillett had not visibly awarded a free-kick against Ahoka. Critics questioned why VAR failed to examine whether O’Nien’s contact occurred inside the penalty box properly themselves afterwards.

Morris expressed disbelief at the decision, criticising both the referee and video officials. He wrote: “I mean how on earth is not given as a penalty from the ref… even worse from VAR.”

Morris then directly challenged Gallagher’s assessment, describing it as “absolutely pathetic” and arguing that the pundit misunderstood the incident. He added: “Dermot Gallagher doesn’t even know that the ref didn’t give a foul.”