A couple of things to add from yesterday:
The more I see the video (below), the more I’m convinced that Toure deserved his red card and Mikel only a yellow. The penalty for tugging on someone’s shirt and then not falling over when pushed is a red – if Mikel had done a Wayne Bridge and gone down like he’d been shot, the whole incident would have been seen in a different light.
As for Lamps and Fab, I think Fabregas deserved a definite red. He had totally lost it – Lampard, I’m not so sure. He should have had a yellow, for getting involved, but not for what happened after that.
Mourinho was right yesterday when he said that Arsenal players had acted out of frustration – the fact that Wenger chose to blame the ref and talked about the need for remaining calm the next time around (instead of talking about Chelsea) spoke volumes.
Toure’s reaction was surprising, Fab’s not so much so. He’s a hothead, albeit a very talented hothead. There’s no point in making this bigger than it is – a playground tussle, nothing more.
Kudos to Mourinho and Wenger for going on the pitch. That, and the way both sides were trying to stop tussle instead of getting their punches in.
Once again the FA is waiting for the ref’s report before taking any action – at the very least, Adebayour’s red card should be rescinded, Fabregas and Lampard given reds (if you’re going to red card Mikel, you might as well red card those two), the two clubs warned and that’s that.
Moving on…
Previous Coverage:
- Wenger and Mourinho on the Chelsea-Arsenal brawl
- Chelsea v Arsenal – Terry’s injury video
- Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal – Goal videos
- Chelsea v Arsenal – Fab and Lamps deserved red
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
