Wow. What a game we saw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. The infamous Battle of the Bridge has its sequel.
Chelsea led twice, Tottenham equalised twice. There has been countless questions asked about the officiating on social media. One thing is not in doubt, though, and that’s how entertaining the London derby was.
Kalidou Koulibaly volleyed home in the first-half to hand Chelsea the lead going into the half-time break. The Blues were all over Tottenham, who couldn’t cope with the hosts’ high press.
Tuchel, who appeared to be on edge all afternoon-long down on the touchline, then shouted at Kante. The German was clearly frustrated with what happened and he would have been even more upset when Kante hobbled off in the second-half with what looks like a hamstring injury.
Gallagher may now be handed more chances.
Spurs did improve after the break, though, and equalised through Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s strike from outside of the box. Chelsea capitalised on some lapse Spurs defending after and went back ahead through Reece James. Harry Kane levelled deep into stoppage time to ensure the points were shared at Stamford Bridge.
Then, the real drama happened. Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel were involved in a heated bust-up when the final whistle was blown. Both managers were subsequently showed red cards for their actions.
So, with all of this being said, football.london brings you some moments you may have missed from the four-goal thriller in west London…
Kovacic furious with Conte
The bust-up between the two managers at full-time also saw multiple members of coaching staff and players get involved, too. Cesar Azpilicueta can be seen having words with Conte, who of course managed him during his time at Chelsea.
Conte then barged into Mateo Kovacic, who missed the game through injury, down the tunnel. This led to the Croatian shouting furiously at Conte. Kovacic could be seen arguing with members of the Spurs coaching staff.
Tuchel shouts at Kante
In the first-half, N’Golo Kante was exceptional. It was refreshing to see. The France international hasn’t been at his usual standard over the past 12 months, but it looked like typical Kante during the opening 45 minutes.
The Frenchman kept intercepting the ball from Tottenham and he was part of a high Chelsea press that frustrated Conte and co. However, at one point, after winning the ball back in excellent fashion, he then let himself down with a sloppy pass that handed possession back to the visitors.
Tuchel, who appeared to be on edge all afternoon-long down on the touchline, then shouted at Kante. The German was clearly frustrated with what happened and he would have been even more upset when Kante hobbled off in the second-half with what looks like a hamstring injury.
Gallagher may now be handed more chances
Conor Gallagher may now be handed more opportunities in the first-team following Kante’s injury. If it is indeed a hamstring problem, then Kante is set to be out for a few weeks at least.
Kovacic is also sidelined at the moment, meaning Gallagher may be called upon. The England international came on and made a positive impact in the second period. He definitely suits Tuchel’s high energy pressing system that was evident to see at Stamford Bridge.
