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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Samuel Meade

Mateo Kovacic 'barged' by Antonio Conte after Chelsea star confronted Tottenham boss

Mateo Kovacic barged past Antonio Conte after the Tottenham boss was involved in a confrontation with Thomas Tuchel.

Chelsea boss Tuchel and his opposite number clashed on several occasions during the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, which eventually led to them both being sent-off after the final whistle. Conte seemed to celebrate in front of Tuchel before the German did likewise as he ran down the touchline to celebrate Chelsea's second.

The main flashpoint came at full-time as a handshake turned into the pair squaring up to each other, which led to a mass brawl as they were separated. Kovacic, who was an unused sub, clearly took issue with Tottenham's coach and clashed with him in the tunnel, reports football london.

It led to the Croatian being confronted by the opposition's staff as tempers continued to flare. Conte, who was previously in charge at the Blues for two seasons, tried to divert attention away from his confrontation with Tuchel after the contest.

He told Sky Sports: "My opinion is it's better to talk about the game. It was a difficult game for both teams and we try in every game to be competitive. Chelsea showed they are a really good team. Compared to last season we did better, but if we want to create problems for Chelsea [in the table] we have to be better.

"I don't want to comment on the [Tuchel] situation, this is not the most important thing. If there's a problem, it's between me and him."

Have your say! Who will finish higher - Chelsea or Spurs? Tell us what you think here.

Tuchel said in response: "I thought when we shake hands you looked in each other eyes, he he had a different opinion. It was not necessary but a lot of things were not necessary." He also added: "There are no hard feelings. I feel like it was a fair tackle from him (Conte) and a fair tackle from me. We did not insult each other, we did not hit each other, we are fighting for our teams."

Harry Kane himself added: "It's disappointing to see the red cards, I didn’t see what happened. Obviously it was an emotional game, London derby, the passion from both sides, both teams wanted to win. That’s sometimes what happens in these games."

It was Kane who scored Tottenham's equaliser deep into added time after Reece James had put the hosts 2-1 ahead. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg had made it 1-1 following Kalidou Koulibaly's sensational opener as the points were shared in west London.

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