Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte clash violently after the Chelsea game against Tottenham – and see red. The scene has a history.
The handshake after the final whistle is an important gesture of fair play among Premier League coaches and an opportunity to put aside disputes from the previous 90 minutes. But in the heated Premier League duel between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur (2: 2) on Sunday (08/14/2022), the coaches broke with the customs and their role models.
Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel held Antonio Conte’s hand longer than necessary. A fierce verbal duel followed, forehead to forehead, a long-lasting pack formation and two red cards for the two coaches.
Tuchel: “Not so wild”
“I thought that when we shake hands, you look into each other’s eyes, but he had a different opinion,” said Tuchel afterwards about the trigger for the tumult. When asked if he wanted to meet Conte today, Tuchel said: “If we meet, then we meet. But it’s not all that wild. It’s football.”
Conte also made a reassuring statement. “I don’t really want to comment on that scene because it wasn’t the most important of the game. If there’s a problem there, it’s between him and me and it’s none of anyone else’s business.”
Conte’s provocative celebration
This was preceded by a wild game with several heated arguments. Among other things, Conte had enthusiastically celebrated the interim 1-1 by Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg (68th) and provocatively stood in front of Tuchel with his mouth wide open. Tuchel reacted angrily – and when Reece James later scored for Chelsea (77th), he showed a jubilant run in Jürgen Klopp style.
Tuchel also criticized the referee’s decisions. “Both goals shouldn’t have counted. We played brilliantly and deserved to win.” Before the 1-1, Kai Havertz had been fouled by Tuchel. In addition, Richarlison was in the field of vision of Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy when Höjbjerg shot, but after a short VAR check the goal was still awarded.
In injury time, the referee and video assistant apparently overlooked the fact that Tottenham’s Romero had pulled Chelsea’s Cucurella by the hair. In the corner that followed, Kane scored to equalize.