Thomas Tuchel explains what sparked hand-shake scenes with Antonio Conte

This was never going to be a quiet game

Two of the Premier League's most charismatic managers, Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel, were sent off after the full-time whistle of Chelsea's 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg equalised for Spurs after Kalidou Kouliably's sensational first half opener on his home debut, sparking wild scenes at Stamford Bridge. The defender, who had arrived from Napoli, hit a sweet first-time volley from fellow home debutant Marc Cucurella's corner to give the Blues a deserved lead. Conte, who retuned to the ground of his former employers for the first time since being sacked in 2018 celebrated the goal as emphatically as he always does, leading to tempers flaring on the touchline. As Conte ran towards Tuchel the German reacted angrily and barged into the Italian before members from both teams' technical staff tried to separate the two. https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1558861988343726085

Thomas Tuchel gets his own back

Referee Anthony Taylor eventually booked both managers for their role in the altercation. Moments later however and it was Tuchel's turn to celebrate wildly. Reece James fired the Blues back in front, prompting  Tuchel to sprint down the touchline, showing shades of former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who like the two in the technical area, is prone to jubilant celebrations. With seconds to go and Chelsea looking like they would win the game, Harry Kane popped up at the very last minute to head home from a corner. https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1558868667529666561 As the full-time whistle went the two were embroiled in yet another altercation as the two clashed during a handshake between the two and led to both managers being sent off as yet another major brawl broke out. https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1558868810223976451

'Conte had a different opinion' - Thomas Tuchel

Asked by Sky Sports about the first incident, which led to both him and Conte being booked, Thomas Tuchel said, "There was no problem." The German gave a little bit more when asked about the spat sparked by the full-time handshake. He said:

"I thought when we shake hands you looked in each other eyes, he had a different opinion. It was not necessary but a lot of things were not necessary."

"It's emotional, football," he added. "We don't need to heat it up. You have emotional coaches on the touchline and that's it.

"If we meet [later], we meet, If not, then not. Come on guys, it's between two competitors and nothing bad happened."

Related links:

• Frank Lampard claims he lost support from ‘those above him’ at Chelsea
• Chelsea body Brighton with hilarious tweet confirming Cucurella signing
• Gary Neville accuses Chelsea owner Todd Boehly of being ‘naive’

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