Jude Bellingham cut a frustrated figure at full-time after Borussia Dortmund were dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The German side were unable to hold onto their first-leg lead as Chelsea won 2-0 on the night to secure a 2-1 aggregate success which sees them make the last eight. Bellingham has been a leading light at Dortmund since joining them in 2020 but was clearly emotional after the whistle.
He squared up to Marc Cucurella before the two players had to be pulled apart by their respective team-mates. Bellingham was also seen throwing a water bottle on the floor in anger before he ushered away a cameraman who'd stepped in to capture the footage.
The contest in west London had seen tempers flare during the 90 minutes, particularly when Chelsea were awarded the penalty that ultimately decided the game. Raheem Sterling had given the Premier League side the lead shortly before half-time, but it was a spot kick awarded after 50 minutes that proved crucial.
Marius Wolf saw the ball strike his arm in the box and, after a VAR intervention, referee Danny Makkelie awarded a spot kick. Kai Havertz saw his effort hit the post before VAR highlighted an encroachment issue that saw the German get a second chance - which he took.
Bellingham was among those to bemoan the situation as he told BT Sport: "I've not seen the incident back. From where I was it looked like it was pretty close and I'm not sure what more he can do with the hands. A yard or two away, I'm not too sure. I don't want to get in trouble, I've paid enough to them lot."
The midfielder went on to add: "I think that in itself was disappointing, and then the fact that they've had a retake, I think it's a joke. For every penalty, especially when he has such a slow (stuttering) run-up, there's going to be people encroaching into the box by a yard or so. But that's the game I suppose, he's made the decision and we've had to live with it."
His team-mate Emre Can was even more frustrated by the decision and the general performance of the referee. He said post-match: "The referee. It was his fault today. How can you give the second penalty in the situation? How does it work? That simply does not work! I don't give a s*** who walked in there before. He was arrogant the whole game - that's where it starts. We lost here undeservedly because of the referee."
Bellingham could yet have played his last European game for Dortmund with strong suggestions he will make a move this summer, with a host of Premier League sides seeking his signature.
