Aston Villa got the better of Tottenham in the FA Cup third round on Saturday night, but the final whistle wasn’t the end of the action as a post-match brawl ensued.
Villa won the match 2-1 in north London, in a game which was very different in the first and second halves.
The visitors were in control at the break thanks to goals from Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers, with the home side entirely unimpressive.
Whatever Thomas Frank did at half-time quickly improved things, though, with Wilson Odobert scoring on 54 minutes and Spurs looking much more threatening in the second stanza.
They could not find an equaliser, though, and were eliminated from the FA Cup in the third round as Frank’s difficult season continues.
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Frustrations boiled over at the end of the match as players and substitutes got involved in a dust-up at one end of the pitch, with no punches thrown, but plenty of pushing and shoving.
It was not immediately obvious who or what had sparked the aggressive scenes, but it did become obvious that an unlikely source was behind it.
Ollie Watkins celebrated the victory in front of the travelling fans, but more importantly in front of Tottenham midfielder Joao Palhinha, walking into him in doing so.
Palhinha was not impressed, shoving the England striker and putting his forehead into the back of Watkins’ head.
Villa players rushed to join in, with Rogers getting physical with the Tottenham man after they had clashed earlier in the match. Palhinha had left Rogers on the deck with a poor challenge.
The handbags was sorted out pretty quickly, but Spurs boss Frank was sure who was to blame for starting it.
‘I think Ollie is a bit provoking, he’s celebrating in front of the Villa fans but walks into Joao and can easily walk around him,’ said the Dane.
‘Anybody in the game just after a defeat knows what that will do.’
Villa manager Unai Emery seemed unfussed by the incident, although admitted his players were frustrated with Palhinha for hurting Boubacar Kamara during the game.
‘It’s the referee’s work,’ said Emery. ‘Of course I respect the referees and the competition, only we were a bit angry because Kamara was getting injured because of one action with Palhinha but I think the referee today did a fantastic job.
‘The moment that happened with some players we can understand in the circumstances on the pitch.’
Former Villa defender Micah Richards suggested Palhinha’s aggression will be welcomed by the Spurs fans because they don’t see enough of it from their players.
‘We don’t want to see people fighting but that passion from Palinha is what the fans definitely want,’ Richards said on the BBC. ‘Showing that character and that energy is what Spurs have been missing.’