Chelsea-Spurs Draw Ends in Chaos As Managers Clash on Field

There was plenty of intrigue in Sunday’s 2–2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham, but most of the fireworks came from the touchline between Spurs manager Antonio Conte and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.

The two managers clashed on multiple occasions, starting with Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s equalizer in the 68th minute when Tuchel claimed that there was a foul in the buildup to the goal.

But tempers boiled over after the final whistle after Harry Kane’s 96th-minute goal secured the draw for Spurs. Both Tuchel and Conte had to be restrained after they shook hand and the confrontation led to straight red cards for each manager as they walked off the pitch. 

“I thought when you shake hands, you look into each others eyes and Antonio had a different opinion,” Tuchel told the NBC Sports broadcast. “It was emotional. He was happy when they equalized and it got a bit heated, but nothing big.

When asked whether he thought the red card was warranted, Tuchel responded that both Spurs goals should have been disallowed due to fouls leading up to the goal.

“I think it was not necessary but a lot of things were not necessary,” Tuchel said. “Another poor decision from the ref today.”

Kalidou Koulibaly and Reece James both scored for Chelsea, but the Blues couldn’t manage to hold on to either lead despite an incredible effort from Koulibaly for his first Premier League goal.