#4 Not one of fair play’s best days
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Stoke City are one of those sides that contribute to the image of the Premier League as an extremely physical league. Known for their confrontational style of play, their game against Chelsea was always going to be a high-strung affair and the match definitely did not disappoint. Fouls abounded with both sides bringing down players quite frequently. As many as six Stoke players were shown a yellow card with Phil Bardsley being sent off after a second booking when he fouled Cesc Fabregas in injury time.
The Blues came away with a better fair-play record but only marginally with Fabregas and Costa going into the referee’s book. The significant number of bookings, however, was just a tip of the iceberg as the home side committed 16 fouls in contrast to Chelsea’s 11.
It’s no wonder Eden Hazard was left back in London after surviving an onslaught of fouls from Manchester United this past Monday in the FA Cup quarter-final draw. His minor muscular injury could have been a lot worse after tonight’s outing.
