#2. Bans and unpleasant scenes at the Etihad leave a bad aftertaste
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David Luiz and Kun Aguero clashed more than once during the course of the game but the Argentine’s studs-up challenge on the Brazilian in injury time was horrendous and unpardonable, to say the least. This is not Aguero’s first such offence on Luiz; it is also in fact, his second sending off offence this season. He is likely to miss the next four games (or more, depending on the FA) for City in a vital run-up leading up to the close of the year.
The forward saw red for the assault but already fragile tempers reached boiling point in the ensuing melee. Chalobah, Fernandinho and Cesc Fabregas all got involved in the fracas while Diego Costa tried to play peacemaker, astonishingly.
Fabregas appeared to have slapped Fernandinho (which was missed by all cameras at first) and the Brazilian grabbed the former’s neck more than once (elaborately covered by the media with some Chelsea fan accounts on Twitter actually lauding him for his cool). The City midfielder’s reaction resulted in a red card and his side going down to 9 men for the last minute or so that was left of the game.
Guardiola refused Fabregas’ handshake after the full-time whistle while his players looked frustrated on an afternoon where nothing went their way; that they took it out by losing their heads on the pitch in such fashion was a shame indeed.
Neither club will have seen the last of disciplinary action; there is sufficient potential for a case of retrospective ban on Fabregas for provocation, besides the inability of their officials to keep their players in check.
