West Ham defender Fabian Balbuena has controversial red card rescinded

Fabian Balbuena’s controversial sending-off against Chelsea in last weekend’s Premier League defeat has been overturned, West Ham have confirmed.

The Hammers centre-back accidentally scraped his boot down the calf of Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell while making a clearance, and he was shown a red card by referee Chris Kavanagh as a result.

The decision came in the 81st minute of the hosts’ 1-0 loss at the London Stadium and drew immense criticism at once.

West Ham appealed against the sending-off and said on Tuesday that the appeal was successful.

“The defender will now be eligible for our trip to Burnley,” the club wrote on Twitter.

Timo Werner’s goal saw Chelsea return to fourth place in the top flight, three points clear of fifth-placed West Ham with five games remaining in the Premier League campaign.

Chelsea can also qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning the current edition of the tournament.

This evening, the Blues begin their semi-final tie against Real Madrid as they play the first leg in the Spanish capital.

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