Chelsea and Tottenham have played out a fair few fiery matches in recent years, creating a classic London derby feel to the clashes. The first half of the fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season certainly lived up to that billing once again as small challenges began to bubble under the surface until tensions exploded.
This all led to VAR chaos at the end of the opening 45 minutes in which two players were booked for a confrontation between the two squads before Hakim Ziyech received a red card. The Moroccan international was adjudged to have caught Emerson Royal in the face with a stray hand during some pushing after VAR had told the referee Stuart Atwell that it was Ziyech, with the players getting lost in the confrontation.
There was confusion to follow though, as referee was then sent to the monitor after a lengthy stoppage to check the decision himself, despite the VAR stoppage before the red card. Atwell reversed the decision and overturned the red card, leading to plenty of confusion.
