"Shocking" - Cesc Fabregas in disbelief over what happened in Chelsea vs Tottenham clash
Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas expressed his disbelief on Twitter after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's goal for Tottenham Hotspur was not ruled out for offside in their Premier League clash against the Blues on Sunday.
Chelsea took on Spurs at Stamford Bridge in what was the first real test of their respective squads this season. Both teams shared the spoils in a tightly-contested match in west London that ended 2-2.
Manager Thomas Tuchel saw his summer signings combine in the 19th minute to open the scoring on the day. Marc Cucurella's corner was volleyed home by Kalidou Koulibaly to put the Blues in front.
A moment of controversy arose in the 68th minute of the game when Hojbjerg's shot from outside the box found its way into Edouard Mendy's net. Richarlison, who was brought on in the 57th minute for Ryan Sessegnon, was seemingly in the Senegal international's line of sight after the shot was hit.
Tottenham equalise!
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg levels for Spurs at Stamford Bridge... and there's chaos on the sidelines as Antonio Conte celebrates under Thomas Tuchel's nose... 👀
#CFC | #THFC | #CHETOT
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The former Everton man was in an offside position but the referee did not rule out the Dane's strike. To add to the misery of Blues fans, Rodrigo Bentancur clearly seemed to have fouled Kai Havertz in the build-up to that goal.
The referee overlooked that particular incident as well. Fabregas took to Twitter to express his bemusement after the goal was given. He wrote:
"Foul on Kai plus offside from Richarlison. Shocking."
Foul on Kai plus offside from Richarlison. Shocking.
Chelsea and Tottenham share the spoils in a heated London derby
Reece James equalized nine minutes after Hojbjerg's controversial goal to put the Blues in front. Just when it looked like Tuchel's side would walk away with all three points, Harry Kane headed home the equalizer from Ivan Perisic's corner kick late in stoppage time.
The game ended all square with the two managers confronting each other after the full-time whistle. Tuchel's seemingly benign handshake with Antonio Conte on the pitch nearly turned into a full-blown brawl between the two teams.
Both Chelsea and Tottenham have amassed four points from their opening two league games. The Blues beat Everton 1-0 via a penalty from Jorginho on August 6, while Spurs smashed Southampton by a 4-1 margin earlier that day.
Spurs will now host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, August 20. Chelsea, meanwhile, will travel to Elland Road to take on Leeds United the following day.