Essien escapes FA charges

The FA has confirmed Chelsea's Michael Essien will face no further action over his tackle on Tal Ben Haim during the game with Bolton.

Referee Rob Styles issued Essien with a yellow card at the time and agreed to look at the incident again on video.

Styles subsequently informed the FA he would have shown a red card had he seen the incident from another angle.

The FA then approached the sport's governing body Fifa to ascertain whether any further disciplinary action could be taken.Fifa had expressed concern following an incident at the start of the season when a red card that was shown to Jermaine Jenas, then of Newcastle, was subsequently downgraded to a booking.

As the referee had seen the incident involving Essien and decided to show a yellow card, Fifa informed the FA that in such cases the referee's decision is final and cannot be changed retrospectively.