Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said he was happy to take a “fair tackle” from Tottenham boss Antonio Conte after both were shown red cards for clashing twice during a heated 2-2 on Sunday.
Conte’s overexuberant celebrations of Spurs’ first equalizer resulted in the two coaches being booked for squaring up.
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Tuchel then responded by running down the touchline in celebration when Chelsea retouched the lead through Reece James 13 minutes from time.
But Harry Kane’s 96th minute equalizer meant Conte had the last laugh. Tuchel was not happy at the Italian for not making eye contact during a handshake at full-time, which sparked another melee between both sets of coaches and players.
“It was hot from the temperature and hot between the benches and hot on the field and hot between the spectators,” said Tuchel with temperatures soaring above 30 degrees Celsius in the English capital.
“There’s no hard feelings. I feel like it was a fair tackle from him and a fair tackle from me.
“We did not insult each other, we did not hit each other, we were fighting for our teams and from my side there’s absolutely no hard feelings. I’m surprised that we both got a red card for that.”
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Tuchel’s ire was instead directed towards the officials as both Tottenham’s goals could have been disallowed.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s strike was allowed to stand despite a potential foul on Kai Havertz in the build-up and Richarlison standing in an offside position when the Dane’s shot was hit.
Before the corner leading to Kane’s equalizer, Spurs defender Sergio Romero also escaped a red card for dragging Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair.
“It was a clear foul on Kai Havertz. Ok, the situation goes on and on and on, then it is a clear offside,” added Tuchel.
“Since when can you pull hair on the football field? It’s ridiculous.
“That’s the only frustration. I’m the happiest coach on earth because we played a fantastic match.”
Conte batted away several questions about his tete-a-tete with Tuchel, but admitted a gap between the sides remains despite Spurs’ improvement.
Chelsea won all four meetings between the sides last season, three of them after Conte took charge in November.
“In my opinion it is better to talk about the game,” said Conte.
“Chelsea showed to be a really good team, but compared to last season we did a bit better.
“The difference is clear. This team won the Champions League two years ago, last year won the Club World Cup, got to the final of the FA Cup and Carabao (League) Cup.
“There is a difference between Chelsea and Tottenham but we are here to reduce this gap. Last season we lost three times, this time we drew so it’s a little step forward.”
Harry Kane snatched a 96th minute equalizer to salvage a 2-2 draw for Tottenham from a feisty London derby against Chelsea.
Both managers Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel were sent-off after the full-time whistle for their second physical altercation of the match.
Chelsea looked set to get a new era at Stamford Bridge off to the best possible start as they twice led through Kalidou Koulibaly and Reece James.
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Ben Davies (R) celebrates with Ivan Perisic (C) after Harry Kane scores their late equaliser. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)Source: AFP
Tottenham were well off the level required if they are to live up to hopes of challenging Manchester City and Liverpool for the title, but showed the newfound character instilled by Conte to fight back for a point.
The Italian and Tuchel were both booked in the aftermath of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s first equaliser.
Tempers then flared again during a handshake after Kane hesitated in with virtually the last action of the game.
“It is the Premier League and why we love it. It is emotional coaches on the sidelines,” said Tuchel.
“I think it (the red card) was not necessary. But a lot of things were not necessary today so it is another poor decision from the referee.
“It’s emotional. You like it. We don’t need comments now. It was heated up and heated up.
“I thought when you shake hands you look into each other’s eyes. Antonio (Conte) had other ideas.”
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Antonio Conte (R) and Thomas Tuchel (L) shake hands then clash. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)Source: AFPThe game finished 2-2. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)Source: AFP
Tottenham have still only won once at Stamford Bridge in 32 years in the league, but Conte will be delighted to escape with a share of the spoils against his former club.
“There is a difference between Chelsea and Tottenham but we are here to reduce this gap,” said the Italian. “Last season we lost three times, this time we drew so it’s a little step forward.”
New Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly was welcomed by a huge banner from the Chelsea support and saw an early return on the near £170 million ($206 million) investment in the transfer market since he sanctioned a £2.5 billion takeover to buy the club from Roman Abramovich .
Despite the drastic changes in the boardroom, on the field it was like the old times under Abramovich as Chelsea outthought, outplayed and outmuscled Spurs for the first 45 minutes.
Two of their new signings combined for the opening goal as it was from Marc Cucurella’s corner that Koulibaly found space to volley home.
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Conte again resisted the temptation to start any of his six new signings, but it was not until the introduction of Richarlison just before the hour mark and a switch of formation that Tottenham began to threaten.
Kane had a glorious chance to level when he uncharacteristically dragged wide with only Edouard Mendy to beat.
Spurs did level 22 minutes from time in controversial fashion to light the spark between the two managers.
Kai Havertz looked to be clearly fouled by Rodrigo Bentancur before Tottenham broke forward and the ball eventually fell to Hojbjerg to fire low and hard past Mendy.
Tuchel reacted furiously to the decision and Conte’s overzealous celebration. The German fought fire with fire as he sprinted down the touchline to celebrate when James thrashed home Raheem Sterling’s pass to restore Chelsea’s lead 13 minutes from time.
However, Kane had the final say as he flicked in Ivan Perisic’s corner deep into added time.
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FOREST CELEBRATE HOMECOMING IN STYLE
Earlier, Nottingham Forest celebrated their first home game in the Premier League for 23 years by beating West Ham 1-0.
The two-time European champions have made 14 new signings in a bid to maintain their top-flight status and two of those making their home debuts were the heroes as Taiwo Awoniyi scored the only goal and Dean Henderson saved Declan Rice’s penalty.
Forest had fortune on their side as the Hammers also had a first-half goal controversially ruled out and hit the underside of the crossbar twice after the break through Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma.
But that mattered little to a capacity 30,000 crowd at the City Ground, who roared the home side over the line.
West Ham have now lost both their opening two games of the season, but in stark contrast to a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend, they should have taken at least a point back to London.
Taiwo Awoniyi of Notts Forest celebrates scoring the first goal (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Benrahma’s cool finish from Rice’s pass was ruled out after a VAR review for a foul by Michail Antonio as he blocked off Moussa Niakhate.
On top of nearly £100 million in transfer fees, Forest have splashed out a reported £200,000-a-week to secure Jesse Lingard on a one-year deal.
Lingard had been long linked with a return to West Ham after a successful loan spell in the 2020/21 season.
And he played a part in the winner as his shot was blocked by Ben Johnson but rebounded in off Awoniyi’s knee.
Bar a Brennan Johnson goal that was ruled out by VAR for offside, it was the visitors who had all the best chances after the break.
Fornals smashed an effort of the bar seconds into the second period before Benrahma did likewise from a nearly inch-perfect free-kick.
Rice had the best chance of all from the spot after Scott McKenna handled Tomas Soucek’s effort.
However, Henderson made himself an instant hero by diving low to his right to save the penalty.
More desperate defending was needed by Neco Williams to clear Kurt Zouma’s header off the line late on, but Forest held out for a famous win
Tottenham and Chelsea played out a controversial English Premier League draw but that was only half the show as both coaches were sent off in wild scenes after full-time.
After a running battle throughout the match, things got truly heated after the final whistle when Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and Tottenhal boss Antonio Conte were both awarded red cards after an intense handshake sparked wild scenes following the 2-all draw.
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Earlier in the match, Conte’s overexuberant celebrations of Spurs’ first equalizer resulted in the two coaches being booked for squaring up.
Tuchel then responded by running down the touchline in celebration when Chelsea retouched the lead through Reece James 13 minutes from time.
But Harry Kane’s 96th minute equalizer meant Conte had the last laugh.
Tuchel was not happy at the Italian for not making eye contact during a handshake at full-time, which sparked another melee between both sets of coaches and players.
Conte looked to be going for a quick shake, while Tuchel held onto the Italian’s hand and dragging him into the confrontation.
Conte could be heard over the pitch mics saying “What do you want?” as both sides returned to the pitch in defense of their managers.
As players and staff rushed in, security was forced to separate the pair and break up the wild scenes on the pitch.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Tuchel said the issue was sparked as Conte did not look at him in the eye during the handshake.
“I thought when we shake hands you looked in each other eyes, he had a different opinion,” said Tuchel.
“It (the red cards) was not necessary but a lot of things were not necessary. Another poor decision from the referee.”
Tuchel revealed his main source of anger due to the fact both of the Tottenham goals could have been disallowed.
Tuchel was unhappy the Spurs’ Rodrigo Bentancur sliding challenge on Kai Havertz went unpunished, while Tottenham’d Richarlison was off-side and in the eyeline of Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy in the first goal.
In the second goal, Cristian Romero dragged Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair which led to the corner for Kane’s last-gasp equaliser.
“Both (Tottenham goals) cannot stand. Only one team deserved to win,” Tuchel added.
“We dominated for 90 minutes. We were sharp, we were hungry, it was a top performance. I’m sorry for all my players that we didn’t get the result we deserved.
“There was a clear foul on Kai Havertz and the situation goes on and on. Clear off-side on Richarlison off-side and since when can you pull hair on a football field? It’s ridiculous.”
However, after the match, Tuchel admitted it got too heated on the sidelines.
“It was hot from the temperature and hot between the benches and hot on the field and hot between the spectators,” Tuchel said with temperatures soaring above 30 degrees Celsius in the English capital.
“There’s no hard feelings. I feel like it was a fair tackle from him and a fair tackle from me.
“We did not insult each other, we did not hit each other, we were fighting for our teams and from my side there’s absolutely no hard feelings. I’m surprised that we both got a red card for that.”
Conte batted away several questions about his tete-a-tete with Tuchel, but admitted a gap between the sides remains despite Spurs’ improvement.
Chelsea won all four meetings between the sides last season, three of them after Conte took charge in November.
“In my opinion it is better to talk about the game,” Conte said. “Chelsea showed to be a really good team, but compared to last season we did a bit better.
“The difference is clear. This team won the Champions League two years ago, last year won the Club World Cup, got to the final of the FA Cup and Carabao (League) Cup.
“There is a difference between Chelsea and Tottenham but we are here to reduce this gap. Last season we lost three times, this time we drew so it’s a little step forward.”
A thrilling opening weekend saw the Premier League return with a bang. Liverpool and Manchester United were stunned, Spurs claimed a statement victory, while Erling Haaland made his mark for Manchester City.
Now attention turns to Matchday 2. Erik ten Hag faces a huge call over Cristiano Ronaldo as the Red Devils seek to get their season off and running, while Spurs visit Stamford Bridge in the first big-six blockbuster.
Here are the big storylines to watch out for this weekend.
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MANCHESTER UNITED SET FOR MORE PAIN?
Manchester United finished last season by losing their final six away games – a nightmare streak that ruined any hope of Champions League football. It was their worst run of road losses since March 1981 – but defeat at Brentford this weekend would make it their worst run since all the way back in 1936, when they lost ten on the trot away from Old Trafford.
But is it a serious prospect against a relative minnow in the Bees? Well, history hasn’t helped United much to start this season – their defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last week was their first-ever loss at home to the Seagulls.
Christian Eriksen starred for the Bees last season, winning 7 of his 11 games on the park, but struggled in a false nine position for United against Brighton.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in the second half shifted Eriksen into the midfield, a move which benefited the team immensely.
Whether Erik ten Hag rushes Ronaldo into the starting line-up in search of a maiden Premier League win will be a crucial selection conundrum, especially since the Portuguese legend is still short of fitness.
But after conceding two goals in the first half in the opening week – and it could well have been three if VAR didn’t overrule a penalty early in the second half – ten Hag clearly has just as many problems in defense (especially on set pieces ).
With Brentford adding to their well-earned reputation for fighting out of tricky situations when they fought back for a 2-2 draw against Leicester, this one will likely be battled out until the final whistle sounds. It just might signal more woe for the Red Devils.
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SPURS OUT TO BREAK HORROR RUN
It’s the first big-six clash of the season, and it should be an absolute beauty as Chelsea host Tottenham.
But there’s a heavy weight of history standing in their way: Spurs have won just once in their last 37 matches at Stamford Bridge. No wonder the Blues are favorites for this one, despite their ‘rusty’ 1-0 win over Everton last week – as coach Thomas Tuchel described it.
Spurs, on the other hand, fought back from an early deficit to win 4-1 over Southampton – a result that means they have scored the most Premier League in the 2022 calendar year to date.
Antonio Conte has enjoyed a full pre-season and a big transfer window in Tottenham, and this match will be a true litmus test for just how far they’ve come – and whether they can actually challenge at the pointy end this season.
“I think it’ll be a good test to mark whether they are really in the contest for the title,” former Spurs back Pascal Chimbonda told Sky Sports News.”
Perhaps the biggest key to their improvement is their depth: none of their six signings started against Saints. Some, like Richarlison, could start this time out, while Ivan Perisic might also hope to replace Ryan Sessegnon.
PREDICTED XI: Hugo Lloris; Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero; Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ivan Perisic, Emerson; Heung-Min Son, Dejan Kulusevski; Harry Kane.
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For Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel hasn’t been fully happy with his transfer window so far despite some big-name arrivals in Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling, and Marc Cucurella.
Koulibaly and Sterling both started and should start again this time out, while Cucurella came off the bench and could depose Ben Chilwell from the starting role. Christian Pulisic’s impressive bench cameo could also see him introduced to the XI.
If they fail to score from open play again, it could just nudge the new owners to push even harder to complete the signings of targets Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, or Wesley Fofana from Leicester City – having already missed out on Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde.
The first heavyweight bout of the season is here, and it could have huge ramifications on the trajectories of two big-six members.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Edouard Mendy; Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Kalidou Koulibaly; Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante, Jorgino, Reece James, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz; Raheem Sterling.
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STAGGERING LAMPARD STAT IN BATTLE OF ENGLAND GREATS
Frank Lampard might be a Premier League and England great, but this weekend he meets another man of similar pedigree – his old England teammate Steven Gerrard.
The duo met 34 times during their playing careers, and Lampard had the upper hand with 16 wins compared to Gerrard’s 11. Both will be desperate for victory this weekend in their first-ever managerial meeting.
For Lampard, the biggest worry – among many – is his staggeringly poor defensive record away from home.
In 38 games in charge of Everton and previously Chelsea, his sides conceded 73 goals at an average of 1.92 per 90 minutes. That includes a Blues side that would win the Champions League six months after his departure from him.
There were concerns about Everton’s squad entering this season (having sold star striker Richarlison to balance the books), and those only worsened on opening day when defenders Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina both copped serious injuries.
Everton have since pulled a late signing swoop for Conor Coady and midfielder Amadou Onana (from Wolverhampton on Monday and Lille on Tuesday, in that order), while they added another solid defender in James Tarkowski from Burnley in pre-season.
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After Everton lost to Chelsea 1-0 and Gerrard’s Aston Villa lost to promoted Bournemouth 2-0, the pressure is on.
But where will the Toffee goals come from?
Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Andros Townsend are months away from returning, but Lampard welcomes back-up forward Salomon Rondon to the team after suspension.
And the club is reportedly chasing Southampton’s Che Adams to boost their stingy offence, having missed out on Burnley winger Maxwel Cornet who instead joined West Ham.
“We know there is a void in forward areas, we are short in numbers there,” Lampard said amid a difficult pre-season.
Arresting his poor defensive record on the road will be a key priority – but their lack of firepower up front could be just as worrying down the track.
