Chelsea respond as players blasted for leaving mascot before Liverpool defeat

01 February 2024 , 21:13

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Chelsea respond as players blasted for leaving mascot before Liverpool defeat

Chelsea have responded after their players were criticised for leaving a young mascot on his own ahead of their game against Liverpool on Wednesday.

In a clip that has gone viral on social media, the mascot is seen standing alone near the centre circle as the Chelsea players walk away and high five each other while Liverpool's 'You'll Never Walk Alone' anthem rings out around Anfield.

The youngster looks around slightly bewildered before eventually deciding to run off the pitch and the players have been slammed for not looking after the mascot. "Who’s supposed to be looking after this kid? Cmon it’s their big day out. What a shame," wrote former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley.

"Unbelievable!!The poor boy is lost somewhat like the team he supports !!" added Liverpool legend John Aldridge. However, Chelsea have insisted the players are not to blame, with the Telegraph reporting that the Blues believe Liverpool were in fact responsible for looking after the mascot.

The report states that each Premier League club has a matchday coordinator who is responsible for the mascots and the Wolves mascot will be looked after by Chelsea's matchday coordinator when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

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Despite this, the club have reached out to the mascot's parents and invited him to be the captain's mascot at another Chelsea game in the future. The report adds that Premier League protocols mean matchday coordinators do not go out onto the pitch, but instead wait on the touchline when the mascots walk out with the players.

They are then expected to look after the youngsters when they return, with club captains typically expected to take responsibility while the mascots are on the pitch. The footage prompted the Chelsea Supporters' Trust to reach out on social media in an attempt to contact the mascot's parents.

They later posted an update stating: "We have spoken with the mascot's mum. Regardless of 'who was responsible' - this should not have happened. We will ensure that this wrong is made right!"

Chelsea ended up losing 4-1 to Liverpool, with Diogo Jota, Conor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz all on target for the Reds. Christopher Nkunku, meanwhile, netted Chelsea's consolation goal.

"The performance wasn't good from us," manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted after the game. "If we want to match them and compete with them in the final then we have to compete in a different way. They were more aggressive than us. They were better than us in all areas."

Matthew Cooper