Chelsea's late 3-2 win against West Ham descended into chaos after a huge brawl broke out in stoppage time. Jean-Clair Todibo was shown a straight red card after grabbing Chelsea's Joao Pedro by the throat as tensions boiled over at Stamford Bridge.
VAR took a long look at the incident before referee Anthony Taylor was summoned to the pitch-side monitor and made a quick decision, announcing it to the stadium. "After review, West Ham number 25, grabs Chelsea number 20 round the throat in a violent manner. Therefore my final decision is a red card, violent conduct," Taylor said.
The melee started when Pedro - who inspired Chelsea's comeback, having been 2-0 down at half-time - pushed Adama Traore, who'd been involved in a tussle with Marc Cucurella. Both sets of players went at it, with Todibo going for Palmer's neck.
"At one point he's got hold of his neck and he looks like he's trying to eat him" Gary Neville said on commentary for Sky Sports. The home crowd erupted when Tobido was giving his marching orders.
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West Ham still had a corner to take but it was easily cleared by the Blues, who snatched all three points at the death. Enzo Fernandez's goal in the 92nd minute completed a dramatic comeback.
Jarrod Bowen had given the Irons an early lead in the all-London clash. Things for worse for Chelsea when Crysencio Summerville doubled West Ham's advantage before the break.
Liam Rosenior made a triple substitution at half-time and all three players played a crucial role. Pedro got the first goal before Cucurella levelled the scores.
West Ham had the chance to win it through Todibo and he'd regret his gilt-edged miss. In added time, Pedro burst down the right of the penalty area and cut his shot back for Fernandez, who fired home past Alphonse Areola.
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It was a huge win for Chelsea, who moved back up to fourth place in the Premier League table. But the first half didn't go to plan.
"Sometimes this can happen, but we have a strong squad," Pedro told Sky Sports post-match. "We showed we are capable to do it, now we must look forward an continue.
"We knew our power. It's another special day. This team is very young but everyone trusts each other, this is our power. We can improve a lot, but this game is important to show the fans how strong we are."
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