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Football London
Football London
Sport
Bobby Vincent

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Chelsea teammates left 'shocked' after what happened vs West Ham United

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was left "stunned" after Chelsea were not awarded a late penalty when the ball struck Tomas Soucek's hand in the box.

The Blues were piling the pressure on West Ham United late on at the London Stadium and Conor Gallagher shot from just outside the box and the ball hit Soucek's hand. However, despite VAR taking a look at the incident, it was not deemed to be a foul and the game finished 1-1.

Speaking to Chelsea's official website, Loftus-Cheek said: "We’re all shocked about what we thought was a handball in the closing minutes. I didn’t see much from the bench at the time, but seeing the replay it was clear to me it was a handball for stopping a shot at goal."

READ MORE: Joao Felix lifts lid on 'easy' Chelsea start after scoring first goal vs West Ham United

Graham Potter clearly thought it was a penalty as well, with the Chelsea head coach saying after the game that it was a "good save" from Soucek. Potter, though, didn't want to speak too much about the incident.

"I thought it was a good save so you need your goalkeeper sometimes to get you the points," the Chelsea boss joked. "It hasn't been given so there's nothing for me to say. I've only seen it briefly as I walked across. It looks like one of those where if it was given I don't think it would be overturned but it hasn't been given, so I don't know."

The point for Chelsea means they stay in ninth place and are now 10 points behind Newcastle United who occupy the last Champions League spot. There is, however, an acceptance at Stamford Bridge that the side are in transition, with so many players coming in over the last two transfer windows.

"I've never had this kind of feeling before with so many new players coming in," Loftus-Cheek added. "We need to embrace it; it's happened for the better.

"The quicker we can get these boys to settle in and gel, the quicker we can start performing better. But believe me, we're not taking these draws and losses and that's it. We're hurt when we lose or draw. We're taking every necessary step to win."

Next up for Chelsea is their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund. The first leg of the European clash is on Wednesday at Signal Iduna Park before welcoming the Black and Yellow to Stamford Bridge early next month.

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