Tottenham faces FA sanctions after scuffle in loss to Chelsea

Captain Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) pleaded, but it was useless. Tottenham is forecasted to ultimately not avoid punishment.

Tottenham lost 0-1 to Chelsea in an away match for the 30th round of the 2024-2025 Premier League (PL) on the 4th (Korea time) at Stamford Bridge in London, England.

Tottenham, caught in a losing streak, remained 14th in the league with 34 points (10 wins, 4 draws, 16 losses). They have gone winless in 8 away matches against Chelsea. The last time Tottenham won at Stamford Bridge was in April 2018. Since then, they have recorded 2 draws and 6 losses. Most notably, they have suffered the humiliation of recording 16 losses in 30 matches for the first time since 1977.

In particular, manager Ange Postecoglou has recorded four straight losses against Chelsea since taking charge of Tottenham. He has not earned a single point against Chelsea. Postecoglou is the first manager in Tottenham's history to face Chelsea four times in the league and lose each match.

On the other hand, Chelsea showed their 'bogey team' character by achieving four consecutive league victories against Tottenham. They have climbed to 4th place in the standings with 52 points (15 wins, 7 draws, 8 losses), surpassing Manchester City (52 points).

As befits a fierce 'London Derby', a scuffle occurred between the player squads of both teams during the match. At the end of the first half, Chelsea's Levi Colwill committed a foul against Tottenham's Mickey van de Ven. However, Colwill protested to the referee while hiding the ball behind him and did not pass it to the Tottenham players.

Then, Tottenham's vice-captain Cristian Romero tried to take the ball away, which led to him knocking Colwill down. Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah rushed in, escalating the scuffle. The clash between the two teams settled down shortly after, and the referee showed yellow cards to Romero and Chalobah.

That was not the end. Just when it seemed the incident was winding down, Rodrigo Bentancur suddenly grabbed Chalobah's jersey, and they exchanged heated words again. Captain Son Heung-min desperately pulled Bentancur, telling him to stop, but it was useless. Bentancur and Chalobah continued their argument while gradually moving away from each other.

'Football London' reported, "A large-scale scuffle broke out just before the end of the first half. The incident began with the collision between Colwill and van de Ven. Colwill collided with van de Ven while trying to stop an opponent's counterattack, which caused Tottenham to miss a quick counterattack opportunity just before the end of the first half," and added, "Afterward, Bentancur grabbed Chalobah's jersey, leading to a second verbal exchange, and the two players exchanged harsh words from a distance."

Ultimately, both Tottenham and Chelsea are expected to face FA sanctions. Keith Hackett, former Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chairman, claimed through 'Tottenham News', "Both clubs will be charged by the FA for failing to control their players."

He also noted, "The large-scale fight protocol was perfectly executed by referee Craig Pawson. He would have been very satisfied with the first-half performance."

Tottenham News reported, "Tottenham has lost 16 of their 30 league matches this season. This is a terrible record, better only than the bottom four teams. Furthermore, there is a high possibility of receiving a fine due to this incident. Adding to the bad news for chairman Daniel Levy and Postecoglou, who hope the season ends quickly, is on the way."

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