Chelsea fined £25,000 by the FA following win over Bournemouth - Reports
Chelsea have been slapped with a fine of £25,000 for the conduct of their players in their 1-0 league win over Bournemouth on Saturday (September 14). The match produced a league-record 14 yellow cards, the most a single game has ever seen in the Premier League, leading the FA to act.
Referee Anthony Taylor was a very busy man on Saturday night at the Vitality Stadium, dishing out cautions at will to players and managers. There were 25 fouls in the physical encounter between the sides, and players from both teams received bookings.
Journalist Kieran Gill has now reported that Chelsea have been slapped a £25,000 fine for the unruly conduct of their players, which saw eight of them get booked. According to the rule books, disciplinary measures are imposed on teams that see six or more players receive bookings in a single game.
Chelsea broke the Premier League record for bookings in the 2023-24 season and have now been involved in another unwanted record. The yellow cards went to Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Renato Veiga, Nicolas Jackson, Joao Felix, and Jadon Sancho.
The trio of Cucurella, Jackson and Fofana are all now three bookings away from an automatic one-game suspension as they each picked up a second booking of 2024-25. The Blues manager Enzo Maresca and his opposite number Andoni Iraola were also not left out, as they each received cautions. Maresca is now just one booking away from receiving a one-game touchline ban, as well.
Like the Blues, Bournemouth will also receive a £25,000 fine as six of their players picked up cautions. The previous record number of cautions in a game was 13 from last season's match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United.
Goalkeeper named Star of the Match from Chelsea win over Bournemouth
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has been named as the Star of the Match by his club following his display against Bournemouth. The Spanish goalkeeper played a starring role for the Blues as they claimed a narrow 1-0 win over the Cherries.
Fresh from receiving a first international call-up in over a year, Sanchez started between the sticks for the Blues. He conceded a penalty in the first half before redeeming himself with a brilliant save to deny Evanilson from the spot.
Sanchez ended the game with seven saves, including five from inside the box, to keep a clean sheet for the first time in the league this season. The Premier League named Sancho as the Man of the Match, but the club recognized the contribution of the goalkeeper.