Thibaut Courtois has revealed that referee Anthony Taylor visited Chelsea’s Cobham training ground at the start of the season to explain why the goal he awarded to Alexis Sánchez should have been ruled out.

Taylor allowed Sánchez’s fourth-minute strike to stand in Arsenal’s FA Cup final victory over Chelsea on Saturday, despite the fact the ball struck the hands of the forward as he charged down N’Golo Kanté’s clearance.

Chelsea’s protests fell on deaf ears and Courtois believes Taylor acted against his own advice.

Asked about the Sánchez goal, the Chelsea goalkeeper said: “I think it is clearly hands. At the beginning of the season, they call us in to Cobham to explain the rules. It was even the same referee this year [Taylor].

“They say that the hands should always be in a natural position. If he has his hands next to him and he gets the ball to the arm, he cannot do anything about it. But now he actually does a volleyball block. It’s one of the best blocks I’ve seen.”