When the story comes to be told of the 2016-17 championship perhaps this will be the occasion that Chelsea look back upon as the clearest evidence yet that they could start to think of themselves as having authentic title aspirations. They rode their luck at times – discounting the spectacular own goal from Gary Cahill – and their opponents were entitled to be aggrieved about some of the refereeing decisions. Yet nobody could question the endurance of Antonio Conte’s men, their competitive courage and the tactical acumen of their manager.
Unfortunately for them, this occasion will be remembered more for the extraordinary scenes in stoppage time when City, to put it bluntly, lost the plot and a fractious, emotional game spiralled out of control. First, Sergio Agüero was sent off for a diabolical challenge on David Luiz but that told only part of the story as the two sets of players clashed by the touchline and Fernandinho could be in serious trouble after grabbing Cesc Fàbregas by the neck and eventually pushing him with enough force the Spaniard ended up in the crowd. Fernandinho was also shown a red card but he, and City, may face further action when the Football Association’s disciplinary department gets hold of the video replays. To put it into context, both managers were on the pitch, trying desperately to stop it getting any worse. As for Agüero, he can expect a four-game ban as this is his second such suspension of the season.
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