Why was Hakim Ziyech's red card overturned against Tottenham?

Controversy is never far from any clash between Tottenham and Chelsea, one of the spikiest London derbies the Premier League has to offer.

Hakim Ziyech found himself at the centre of the latest uproar towards the end of the first half when the pair met at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon in England's top flight.

After a scuffle which began with Tottenham's Richarlison getting tripped up, referee Stuart Attwell seemed to be caught in two (or three) minds about how to best punish Ziyech. Eventually, the Morocco international stayed on the pitch, but why?

Why was Ziyech's red card overturned?

In first-half stoppage time, Ziyech clipped Richarlison's heels in the middle of the pitch. The Brazilian bumped into Ziyech as he stood up, inviting players from both teams to storm towards the scene.

Tottenham's right wingback, Emerson Royal, injected himself into the fracas a little too forcefully for Ziyech's liking, barging the Chelsea forward from behind. Ziyech responded by shoving Emerson, who crumpled to the floor in stages, holding his face.

Ziyech initially connected with Emerson's shoulder before his hand slid into the defender's chin.

Referee Attwell first consulted his assistant Darren Cann, whispering on the side of the pitch before showing Kai Havertz, who was involved in the gaggle of bodies that formed, and Emerson a pair of yellow cards.

Attwell then appeared to be in dialogue with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) before strolling over to Ziyech and showing him a red card almost four minutes after the shove took place. This initial VAR intervention appears to have been used to identify the perpetrator - which neither Attwell nor Cann could do in real-time - rather than assess the severity of the crime.

The referee was then directed to the side of the pitch to rewatch the incident in question on the pitch-side monitor. After a quick scan of the footage, Attwell deemed that the contact Ziyech made wasn't worthy of a red card. And breathe.

Reaction to Ziyech's non-dismissal

In the Sky Sports studio, former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink felt Ziyech was "a little bit lucky".

Some turned their ire towards the governing body which has repeatedly come under scrutiny for VAR-assisted decisions this season.

Others pointed out that this is not the first time in 2023 when Ziyech has been uncertain of his position at Chelsea after a deadline day move to Paris Saint-Germain collapsed at the death.