Chelsea to ‘launch investigation’ after Villa incident as ‘tempers fray’; Maresca explains Palmer reaction | OneFootball

According to reports, Chelsea are to ‘launch an investigation’ after ‘tempers frayed’ on the touchline after their loss to Aston Villa.

On Saturday evening, Chelsea slipped to a disappointing 2-1 home defeat against in-form Aston Villa.

Enzo Maresca‘s side made a strong start to the match and took the lead via Joao Pedro, though Aston Villa mounted a comeback after the interval and won 2-1 thanks to a brace by substitute Ollie Watkins.

This result further cements Aston Villa as a leading contender to qualify for the Champions League, while they are also threatening an unexpected challenge for the Premier League title.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have no realistic chance of winning the title this season as they are currently 13 points adrift of leaders Arsenal and sit fifth in the table after 18 matches.

Chelsea and Aston Villa played out a hotly contested game, with a report from Matt Law at The Telegraph revealing that the London club ‘will launch an investigation after Aston Villa reported that a bottle was thrown at their bench at Stamford Bridge following Saturday night’s meeting between the sides’.

It is said that the Villans ‘launched a complaint’ after ‘tempers frayed’ between the two benches after the match, with the ‘hurled bottle’ said to have ‘showered substitutes and staff in water’.

The report explains: ‘One member of the Villa staff seemed to signal that he saw where the bottle came from. It appeared to be tossed from the side of the Chelsea dugout, but on Saturday night there was no confirmation of where exactly it was thrown from.

‘Chelsea will cooperate with Villa and potentially the authorities to try to find out exactly from where the bottle was thrown and who threw it. The London club have not commented, but are understood to take a dim view of the incident.’

There was also an incident involving England international Cole Palmer, who was visibly frustrated at being replaced by Estevao with around 20 minutes remaining against Aston Villa.

Speaking post-match, head coach Maresca explained his decision to withdraw Palmer.

When asked whether he was concerned with Palmer’s reaction, Maresca responded: “No, no. He was working very good. He was on the ball and off the ball, pressing, he was very good.

“We have another game now in 48 hours, so he was good and we are happy that he’s back.”

He was also asked whether fitness concerns were behind his decision to substitute Palmer. He added: “No, I think he was working very hard but he was a bit tired. Overall, he had a good game.”