Cech questions Latics dismissal

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech admits he was surprised to be sent off in his side’s shock defeat to Wigan.

Cech was shown a straight red card by referee Phil Dowd for tripping Hugo Rodallega to concede a penalty early in the second half of the Blues’ 3-1 defeat at the DW Stadium.

It was only Cech’s second sending-off of his career and he felt the decision was harsh because Ashley Cole was getting back to try and tackle Rodallega.

“The penalty call was too strict,” Cech told his personal website.

“It surprised me that I was sent off, because I was not the last player. Ashley Cole was running behind my back.”

Cech had no excuses for Chelsea’s performance as they slumped to their first defeat of the season.

“We played very badly,” added Cech. “We were not going along with the tasks we had set before the match.

“In the second half our performance improved, we equalised but then the penalty came.”

Cech, who will miss next weekend’s clash with Liverpool through suspension, is confident Carlo Ancelotti’s men can make amends for their poor showing at Wigan.

“The league is very long and there will be plenty of games in which we can undo this defeat,” he concluded.