Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel get red cards as Tottenham, Chelsea end heated London Derby at 2-2
A clash between players during a derby match is ubiquitous in football. However, the same is not true for football Managers. And one such rare incident occurred in the season’s first London Derby.
It was Chelsea taking on reformed Tottenham Hotspurs at Stamford Bridge. Both sets of the team had a history of rivalry between them. Hence the hype had been building all week long for a riveting encounter.
The players on the pitch delivered nothing less than that. Both the teams scored twice, and the match ended as a draw. But it was not a dull one, as there was plenty of action, on and off the pitch.
Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel lose their cool
Antonio Conte and Tomas Tuchel were the two managers of Tottenham and Chelsea, respectively. Both had a win in their opening encounter and wanted to keep the momentum going. Things didn’t go according to their plans, though.
Throughout the match, the managers came together twice. The first instance came in the 68th minute of the game when Højbjerg put Spurs back on level terms. His strike from outside the box cancelled out the goal from Koulibaly for Chelsea.
At the sight of the goal Antonio Conte, known for his wild celebrations, gestured something to the Chelsea dugout. Thomas Tuchel, who had conceded a goal against the run of play, was not taken well. And the German decided to confront his Italian counterpart.
They came together neck to neck, toe to toe, but were separated by the linesmen and stewards. This coming together also saw them pick up a yellow card by the referee.
The two managers, however, were just getting started.
When his team retook the lead, Thomas Tuchel decided to meet fire with fire. After the 77th-minute strike by Reece James, Tuchel ran across the Tottenham dugout to celebrate.
Antonio Conte paid no heed to this conduct and retraced to his sitting area.
Harry Kane of Tottenham brought the game to an end at level pegging with his injury-time goal. The game ended at 2-2 draw. That is when the second brawl between the managers took place.
Tuchel and Conte get red card
Just like the tradition, after the completion of the match, both managers shake hands and exchange pleasantries. But not this duo, at least not on the night.
Instead, Tuchel and Conte decided to take a go at one another yet again. And somehow, Tuchel seemed to have initiated it this time. The Chelsea manager didn’t let go of Conte’s hand after the customary shake. This was met with outrage by Conte, who went toe to toe with him again.
The managers were separated from their staff, and the players got involved too. Having already been booked before, the Referee had no choice but to show them red cards.
later in his post match press conference Tuchel said, he had no issue with Conte. “It was emotional, it is football,” he told the reporter.
Even though it was a draw, Tottenham will be a happier party after this game. With four points to their name and a better goal average, they climb up to the fourth position on the table.
