TOP FOUR rivals Chelsea and Leicester City found themselves in a 30-MAN BRAWL after tensions flared at Stamford Bridge.
The two clubs now face FA fines for failing to control their players in the Battle of the Bridge II.
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The Blues gained revenge for their FA Cup final defeat with Jorginho’s winning penalty in a 2-1 win boosting their top-four hopes.
Yet the late melee should see both clubs receive sanctions as players, subs and coaches squared up and grappled with each other.
Tempers boiled over when Antonio Rudiger pushed Ricardo Pereira – who was booked for a challenge on Ben Chilwell – with even Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers trying to separate warring stars.
Sub Daniel Amartey, who was accused of ‘disrespect’ for chucking the Chelsea pennant to the Wembley floor, was the only man booked for the scuffles.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said: “It’s not so easy to lose in difficult games.
“We had to swallow it. We showed respect in the Cup final but it got a bit heated. It’s hard to lose in big matches.
“I know there was an incident, I didn’t talk about it before the match. The players were well aware.”
Scenes at the end were reminiscent of an acrimonious night in 2016 when Chelsea and Tottenham clashed at Stamford Bridge as a draw handed Leicester the Premier League title.
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Leicester hitman Kelechi Iheanacho said: “Antonio Rudiger went aggressively on Ricardo Pereira and that is what caused the fight. I was telling him to calm down.”
Timo Werner had two goals disallowed – one for offside, another for handball – and was denied a clear-cut first-half penalty when the German was tripped by Leicester’s FA Cup match-winner Youri Tielemans.
Rudiger scored his third goal against the Foxes and after Wesley Fofana clumsily brought down Werner, Jorginho slotted home his seventh goal of the season – all from the penalty spot.
Iheanacho cut the deficit on 76 minutes, becoming the first man to score on a different day of the week in one Prem season.
Yet Chelsea held on to leapfrog leggy Leicester into third place and they will finish there if they beat Aston Villa on Sunday.
Tuchel said: “It was an outstanding performance but the job is not done.
“The return of the fans made a huge difference. The speed in our game, the hunger, the ambition.
“It was a very strong performance and I’m delighted the team can present itself like this in front of our fans.
“We played courageously, high intensity, aggressively. Happy to have the win. But I need to repeat – it’s not done.”
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Key midfielder N’Golo Kante was subbed off with injury on 32 minutes, giving Chelsea a massive concern just 10 days before their Champions League final against Manchester City in Portugal.
Tuchel said: “I hope N’Golo is not injured. He told me he felt his hamstring and was worried that he could get injured if he continued to play.
“We will check him on Wednesday. Hopefully N’Golo will come back. We’re a different team with him compared to without.”
Leicester, who play Tottenham at home on the final day, will drop out of the Top Four if Liverpool beat Burnley tonight at Turf Moor.
Foxes chief Brendan Rodgers said: “It’d be really disappointing to miss out. But the players have been fantastic in terms of consistency.
“If we fall short after 38 games, then the team with the eighth biggest budget who have been fighting at this level will have just missed out. But there are points to play for and we will be ready.”
He added: “Two sets of competitive players – that’s what happened.
“Two games in quick succession. We’re fighting for points like they are. The referee and officials dealt with it. That is OK.”
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