While fans and pundits will talk about the title-clinching draw between Chelsea FC and Tottenham for days to come, other conversations behind closed doors this week could still affect the final Premier League standings.
Beyond the 2-2 scoreline, the most notable match statistic of Monday night’s match between Chelsea FC and Tottenham was the 12 yellow cards referee Mark Clattenburg issued. Spurs saw nine of those cards yet, amazingly, no one doubled up and saw red.
Despite the nine Spurs bookings, Chelsea have plenty of reason to think the visitors were lucky to end the game with 11 men on the pitch and their manager on the touchline. The Football Association will likely review at least one incident from the match. Their decision could have a major impact on where Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City stand at the end of the season.
Both teams tested each other and referee Mark Clattenburg early on, seeing how far they could push the referee into only giving warnings and free kicks. With the intensity and stakes of this game as high as they were, no-one from the fans to the FA wanted the officials to influence the final outcome. A lenient Clattenburg issued his final verbal warnings to both teams about 20 minutes into the contest.
Kyle Walker received the game’s first card in the 27th minute for a late slide into Pedro. The replay of this challenge shows that Walker was lucky to get away with merely a caution. While Pedro was still on the ground following the challenge, Walker kicked the Chelsea midfielder in the sole of the foot as he walked away. Two infractions, both worthy of bookings, could have resulted in Walker seeing yellow turn to red in quick succession.
Twenty minutes later, with Spurs up 2-0, Willian and Danny Rose scuffled near the touchline. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino ran onto the field to try to separate them. Within moments other players arrived on the scene and the Argentine boss scurried back off the pitch, likely realizing the potential consequences of what he had done. But no consequences came.
In the ensuing scrum at the end of the half, Mousa Dembele and Diego Costa were eye-to-eye – until Dembele went for Costa’s eye. Video clearly shows the Tottenham midfielder reaching for Costa’s eye. Incredibly, the video also shows that the sideline official had a clear view of Dembele and Costa when this occurred, yet he said or did nothing.
As Tottenham saw their title hopes vanishing in the 87th minute, Eric Dier took the legs out from under goal-scorer Eden Hazard with a late and reckless challenge. Dier deservedly received a yellow card for this infraction. Minutes later, in stoppage time, Mark Clattenburg permitted an equally illegal Eric Dier tackle to go unpunished, choosing to play the advantage and then forgetting about Dier as the game descended into a melee.
Mousa Dembele’s attempted eye-poke is likely the only on-field infraction that will be reviewed by the Football Association, as the others were seen and judged by the officials. The FA will also surely examine reports of a post-game skirmish in the tunnel to the locker room. Kyle Walker will almost certainly escape follow-on punishment for kicking Pedro, as that infraction will likely be subsumed under the yellow card for the initial challenge, if it is reviewed at all.
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"It boiled over [but] let’s not get silly and start banning people, it’s a London derby and the fans want to see it. – John Terry (Evening Standard)"
Spurs may face a team sanction for failing to control their players. With nine players being booked, one is hard pressed to see how the FA could not discipline the club. Pochettino may also be fined for coming on to the pitch.
Retrospective punishment will do little for Chelsea, whose fans may feel they should have been playing the second half against a ten- or even nine-man Tottenham squad under the direction of their assistant manager. To his credit, Chelsea captain John Terry hopes the FA puts all these incidents in the context of a high-tension, high-stakes London derby and foregoes any suspensions.
However, Arsenal and Manchester City may be wondering what their run-in would look like if Spurs had to close the season sans Walker, Dier, Dembele and the already-suspended Dele Alli. Arsenal are only three points behind Tottenham and Manchester City are six points back with two games remaining. Any additional suspensions could still have a significant impact on the final top four places.
Next: Chelsea FC’s entire season reflected in Tottenham draw
If a deflated Tottenham take the pitch the next two weeks without the offensive power of Alli and Dembele, the Gunners and Citizens may just interject a last helping of drama to the season.