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Chelsea will host Tottenham in the Premier League on May 19 in one of the top flight’s most fiery derbies.
Fans of both teams may claim they have bigger adversaries elsewhere, but thereâs rarely a clash in the top flight that sees so much bad blood – and the 2016 ‘Battle of the Bridge’ still stands out.
It was ten years ago today when the rivalry boiled over, with Spurs in search of a first Premier League title and facing Chelsea to keep their trophy aspirations alive, but things didnât exactly go to plan.
Trailing league leaders Leicester by seven points with three games to go, anything less than a win for Spurs would see the Foxes clinch the title, and it should have been easy.
Jose Mourinho had been sacked as Chelsea boss for the second time, with the club lingering in mid-table under Guus Hiddink and on course for their worst league finish since 1996.
How Hazard and Fabregas lit the fuse for ‘Battle of the Bridge’
There was nothing left for Chelsea to play for, but thatâs the sort of logic that only applies to a normal match.
Ahead of the game, the scale of what was to come had already been confirmed, with Chelseaâs foreign players showing the rivalry was far more universal than just a local derby.
âThe fans, the club, the players, we donât want Tottenham to win the Premier League,â said Eden Hazard.
âHopefully not, I donât want Spurs to win it,â Cesc Fabregas confirmed.
Former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas may have been the first trigger, kicking out at Mousa Dembele with just minutes gone before the Belgian raised his hands at John Obi Mikel.
Niggling tackles then began popping up all over the place, with Kyle Walker picking up the gameâs first booking for a pointless kick at Pedro, but not everyone was so distracted.
Harry Kane and Heung-min Son capitalised on the ongoing drama, keeping their cool to give Spurs a 2-0 half time lead, while everyone else seemed more preoccupied with kicking each other.
Diego Costa was the human embodiment of what would soon unfold when he began rutting with Jan Vertonghen, and then the first real spark came.
Not looking Rose-y
Clearly not content with being two goals to the good and having already hacked down Chelseaâs Willian, Danny Rose decided he wanted another bite at the Brazilian, who this time reacted.
Mauricio Pochettino leaped onto the pitch to break the pair up, setting off the gameâs first melee.
An untethered Dembele somehow avoided red for an eye-gouge on Costa, but only Willian and Rose picked up yellow cards to end the half, giving Pochettino 15 minutes to calm everyone down.
Erik Lamela must have heard something else in the dressing room from his fellow Argentine though, leaping in high on Fabregasâ ankles before stepping on his hand while the Spaniard recovered.
That was enough for Spurs to fully lose the plot, conceding first from Gary Cahill before a stunning postage stamp Hazard curler handed Leicester the title.
Eric Dier, already on a booking, looked intent on ending Fabregasâ Euro 2016 campaign with a horrendous lunge that somehow went unpunished, and a previously calm Kane even joined in on the action once he realised all was lost.
Mark Clattenburg blew his whistle for full time, but he might as well have been ringing the bell for round two, as another brawl broke out on the touchline, with master agitator Costa again the centrepiece.Â
Spurs took the league record for most yellow cards given to a single team in one match with nine, resulting in FA punishment, but it was mystifying how there hadnât been at least one red, until a year later.
Clattenburg claimed he allowed Spurs to ‘self-destruct’
Clattenburg departed England for a job as Head of Refereeing in Saudi Arabia, and later opened up in startling fashion over what happened during âThe Battle of the Bridgeâ.
âI allowed [Spurs] to self-destruct so all the media, all the people in the world went, âTottenham lost the titleâ,â Clattenburg said in 2017.
âIf I sent three players off from Tottenham, what are the headlines? âClattenburg cost Tottenham the titleâ. It was pure theatre that Tottenham self-destructed against Chelsea and Leicester won the title.
âI helped the game. I certainly benefited the game by my style of refereeing.
âSome referees would have played by the book. Tottenham would have been down to seven or eight players and probably lost and they wouldâve been looking for an excuse.
âBut I didnât give them an excuse, because my gameplan was: Let them lose the title.â
Clattenburgâs tactics arguably risked serious injury ahead of Euro 2016 the following month, but they undoubtedly helped deliver one of the leagueâs most infamous games in history.
Chelsea will host Tottenham in the Premier League on May 19 in one of the top flight’s most fiery derbies.
Fans of both teams may claim they have bigger adversaries elsewhere, but thereâs rarely a clash in the top flight that sees so much bad blood – and the 2016 ‘Battle of the Bridge’ still stands out.
It was ten years ago today when the rivalry boiled over, with Spurs in search of a first Premier League title and facing Chelsea to keep their trophy aspirations alive, but things didnât exactly go to plan.
Trailing league leaders Leicester by seven points with three games to go, anything less than a win for Spurs would see the Foxes clinch the title, and it should have been easy.
Jose Mourinho had been sacked as Chelsea boss for the second time, with the club lingering in mid-table under Guus Hiddink and on course for their worst league finish since 1996.
How Hazard and Fabregas lit the fuse for ‘Battle of the Bridge’
There was nothing left for Chelsea to play for, but thatâs the sort of logic that only applies to a normal match.
Ahead of the game, the scale of what was to come had already been confirmed, with Chelseaâs foreign players showing the rivalry was far more universal than just a local derby.
âThe fans, the club, the players, we donât want Tottenham to win the Premier League,â said Eden Hazard.
âHopefully not, I donât want Spurs to win it,â Cesc Fabregas confirmed.
Former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas may have been the first trigger, kicking out at Mousa Dembele with just minutes gone before the Belgian raised his hands at John Obi Mikel.
Niggling tackles then began popping up all over the place, with Kyle Walker picking up the gameâs first booking for a pointless kick at Pedro, but not everyone was so distracted.
Harry Kane and Heung-min Son capitalised on the ongoing drama, keeping their cool to give Spurs a 2-0 half time lead, while everyone else seemed more preoccupied with kicking each other.
Diego Costa was the human embodiment of what would soon unfold when he began rutting with Jan Vertonghen, and then the first real spark came.
Not looking Rose-y
Clearly not content with being two goals to the good and having already hacked down Chelseaâs Willian, Danny Rose decided he wanted another bite at the Brazilian, who this time reacted.
Mauricio Pochettino leaped onto the pitch to break the pair up, setting off the gameâs first melee.
An untethered Dembele somehow avoided red for an eye-gouge on Costa, but only Willian and Rose picked up yellow cards to end the half, giving Pochettino 15 minutes to calm everyone down.
Erik Lamela must have heard something else in the dressing room from his fellow Argentine though, leaping in high on Fabregasâ ankles before stepping on his hand while the Spaniard recovered.
That was enough for Spurs to fully lose the plot, conceding first from Gary Cahill before a stunning postage stamp Hazard curler handed Leicester the title.
Eric Dier, already on a booking, looked intent on ending Fabregasâ Euro 2016 campaign with a horrendous lunge that somehow went unpunished, and a previously calm Kane even joined in on the action once he realised all was lost.
Mark Clattenburg blew his whistle for full time, but he might as well have been ringing the bell for round two, as another brawl broke out on the touchline, with master agitator Costa again the centrepiece.Â
Spurs took the league record for most yellow cards given to a single team in one match with nine, resulting in FA punishment, but it was mystifying how there hadnât been at least one red, until a year later.
Clattenburg claimed he allowed Spurs to ‘self-destruct’
Clattenburg departed England for a job as Head of Refereeing in Saudi Arabia, and later opened up in startling fashion over what happened during âThe Battle of the Bridgeâ.
âI allowed [Spurs] to self-destruct so all the media, all the people in the world went, âTottenham lost the titleâ,â Clattenburg said in 2017.
âIf I sent three players off from Tottenham, what are the headlines? âClattenburg cost Tottenham the titleâ. It was pure theatre that Tottenham self-destructed against Chelsea and Leicester won the title.
âI helped the game. I certainly benefited the game by my style of refereeing.
âSome referees would have played by the book. Tottenham would have been down to seven or eight players and probably lost and they wouldâve been looking for an excuse.
âBut I didnât give them an excuse, because my gameplan was: Let them lose the title.â
Clattenburgâs tactics arguably risked serious injury ahead of Euro 2016 the following month, but they undoubtedly helped deliver one of the leagueâs most infamous games in history.
đĄ Puntos Clave
- Este artĂculo cubre aspectos importantes sobre Football,Premier League
- InformaciĂłn verificada y traducida de fuente confiable
- Contenido actualizado y relevante para nuestra audiencia
đ InformaciĂłn de la Fuente
| đ° PublicaciĂłn: | talksport.com |
| âď¸ Autor: | Connor Andrews |
| đ Fecha Original: | 2026-05-02 08:46:00 |
| đ Enlace: | Ver artĂculo original |
Nota de transparencia: Este artĂculo ha sido traducido y adaptado del inglĂŠs al espaĂąol para facilitar su comprensiĂłn. El contenido se mantiene fiel a la fuente original, disponible en el enlace proporcionado arriba.
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