Antonio Conte addresses tunnel bust-up with Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic

Antonio Conte was involved in a bust-up with Mateo Kovacic after the fiery 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

There was plenty of controversy in the London derby, with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel and Spurs manager Conte clashing twice during the game, with a heated exchange at the full-time whistle resulting in both managers getting sent off.

That was not to be the end of the matter however, as reports emerged after the match that Conte had been involved in a third bust-up at the Bridge, this time with Chelsea midfielder Kovacic.

According to reports, Conte barged into Kovacic, who did not take part in the game due to injury, in the tunnel leading to the Croatian to start arguing with the Italian and his coaching staff.

However, when asked in his post-match press conference about the incident, Conte refused to explain exactly what had occurred, remaining as coy as he had been when explaining the two Tuchel confrontations.

‘I think this is not important,’ he said.

‘It can happen when passion is high on both sides. The celebration was very clear, what this game means for the two clubs. Maybe also for the two managers.’

Both Tuchel incidents occurred soon after each Tottenham goal, as each was scored in a dubious manner, with the Chelsea boss later implying that his team had been robbed of the win.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s equaliser could have been chalked off for a foul in the build-up on Kai Havertz, as well as for Richarlison obstructing Edouard Mendy’s view while in an offside position.

And just before the corner that led to Harry Kane’s equaliser deep into stoppage time, the officials failed to notice Cristian Romero dragging Marc Cucurella down by the hair.

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