London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur left-back Danny Rose has apologised for his role in Monday’s ill-tempered 2-2 draw against Chelsea, which has been dubbed “The Battle of the Bridge”.
There were 12 yellow cards and two touchline melees during the match at Stamford Bridge, which saw Spurs’ Premier League title hopes dashed by Eden Hazard’s 83rd-minute equaliser.
Rose sparked the first mass tussle after getting involved in a shoving match with Chelsea winger Willian shortly before half-time and the England international has apologised for setting a bad example.
“It is not nice to see for kids here or kids watching on TV. I apologise if it looked bad on TV,” Rose said, in comments published in the British media on Tuesday.
“It is a London derby. It is to be expected. We wanted to win and they wanted to stop us having any more say in the title race.
“There are no bad words to say about Chelsea. These are the games you want to be part of. It was a great game.”
Tottenham and Chelsea could both face retrospective action from the Football Association, with Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembele particularly at risk after appearing to gouge Chelsea striker Diego Costa’s left eye.
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Rose was also involved in a scrum at the entrance to the tunnel following the final whistle that saw Chelsea’s interim manager Guus Hiddink fall to the ground.
“I couldn’t tell you what happened. It was just handbags being thrown,” Rose said.
“I saw the Chelsea manager fell on the floor. I hope he is alright. People were saying from the bench that he conducted himself like a true gentleman throughout the whole game.
“He did not want any trouble to be started.”
