Enzo Maresca admitted Chelsea’s discipline must improve after they picked up another FA fine in their 1-1 draw at home to Nottingham Forest.
Tempers frayed in Sunday’s game at Stamford Bridge, with Forest's James Ward-Prowse sent off in the second half for a second bookable offence, before a mass brawl between both teams broke out when Neco Williams shoved Marc Cucurella into his own manager, Maresca, by the touchline.
Chelsea were shown six yellow cards, enough to earn a second £25,000 fine of the season after previously picking up six in the 1-0 win at Bournemouth last month.
The Blues will have no Cucurella and no Wesley Fofana when they take on Liverpool after the international break, with the pair becoming the first players in the Premier league this season to earn suspensions for picking up five yellow cards.
“These things can happen,” Maresca said about his side’s aggression. “In terms of emotion, the team is fighting altogether and I don’t think some of them lost their heads. They were, all of them, in the game. I was happy with that.”
“I am not going to pay it,” he joked about the fine, before admitting: “It is something we need to improve but overall, I like the team the way they are fighting. I like the way they are becoming a team in these kinds of things. I don’t see any problems about that.”
Of Cucurella and Fofana’s suspensions, Maresca said: “Fortunately we have the international break, time to see how we can organise. The good news is they [other players] are all ready [to come in].
“For sure, there are things that we can control and do better, for sure no doubt, and probably this is one of the things [to work on].
“But if you ask me about the team spirit, the way they are fighting together, the way they are doing things together, I’m very happy.”
Chelsea’s five-game winning run came to an end, but they remain fourth in the league after the 1-1 draw with Forest, in which they trailed to Chris Wood’s opener until Noni Madueke equalised.
