Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas was reportedly at the heart of the tunnel bust-up at the end of his side’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Monday night.
The two London rivals were engaged in an ill-tempered affair at Stamford Bridge, as emotions were running high particularly with Tottenham’s Premier League title hopes on the line.
While the draw ended the race and saw Leicester City crowned champions, it wasn’t without incident including a melee at the mouth of the tunnel following the full-time whistle.
According to the Evening Standard, Fabregas triggered the incident, although a counter-claim has suggested that it was in fact Erik Lamela who was responsible.
The pair clashed earlier in the game as the Argentine forward was accused of standing on Fabregas’s hand, and that incident along with a whole host of others could be at the centre of an FA investigation into the game depending on the report provided by referee Mark Clattenburg.
Tottenham ended the game with nine of their players receiving yellow cards, and with players involved in constant altercations during the encounter, it is likely to breach FA rules of players having to conduct themselves in an orderly fashion.
Both clubs are expected to be fined as a result, as noted by the Evening Standard, although more serious penalties could be handed out given their behaviour in unsavoury scenes at the end of the game.
It is reported that Fabregas goaded his rivals and the Tottenham backroom staff which provoked the reaction, with Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink falling to the floor in the incident in a bid to protect his player.
While Fabregas allegedly jabbed a Spurs player, Lamela was also being particularly aggressive as both sides ultimately lost their cool.
From Mousa Dembele’s altercation with Diego Costa to Kyle Walker, Lamela and Harry Kane being booked for late tackles, it was a highly-charged derby from start to finish with Chelsea desperate to ensure that their London rivals were denied a chance to win the title.
On a night where Leicester celebrated the unlikeliest of achievements, the image portrayed by both Tottenham and Chelsea players is not one that the FA wants to see, and in turn that is likely to be enough to see them hand out disciplinary action to ensure that the clubs understand their message.
Spurs were guilty of losing their composure as the pressure arguably got to them, although Chelsea will also have to share responsibility in what was a heated clash at the Bridge between two city rivals that had pride at stake even before the ingredients of title hopes were added to the mix.