‘Levi Colwill fumes as shirt ripped off in Chelsea vs Man United incident’
Levi Colwill was left fuming after his shirt was ripped off in Chelsea’s important clash with rivals Man United.
Whilst the match mattered little to the Red Devils, whose main focus is now on the Europa League final against Tottenham, Enzo Maresca’s side needs as many points as they can get between now and the end of the season.
Having failed to qualify for the Champions League since finishing third in the 2021/22 season, Chelsea sat fifth in the Premier League table before their match against United.
But with an in-form Aston Villa beating Tottenham 2-0, and the Blues struggling to find a way through against United, Maresca’s side had a corner just before halftime as they looked to find an opener.
Rasmus Hojlund pulls Chelsea star Levi Colwill’s shirt off
With just seconds remaining before halftime, Pedro Neto stood over the corner, ready to give Chelsea a chance to take the lead.
Having jostled with each other repeatedly during previous set pieces, Hojlund seemed to have had enough.
The Danish forward was pushed by Colwill, and responded by grabbing the young star’s shirt and not letting go.
As a consequence, the England international found himself down to just his undershirt, arms outstretched in protest towards referee Chris Kavanagh.
On Sky Sports Main Event, Alan Smith jokingly said (16 May, 9.04pm): “That’s a new one, you get booked for that? Taking your shirt off.”
His fellow commentator, Rob Hawthorne then pointed out that Hojlund should have been shown a yellow card, but Kavanagh decided a talking to was suitable for both players.
Whilst the first-half was a cagy affair, a goal from Marc Cucurella gave Chelsea a vital three points as they take a step closer to guaranteeing their place in next year’s Champions League.
Chelsea get over the line in unconvincing fashion as striker issues highlighted
Chelsea made hard work of winning against the 17th-placed side in the Premier League, but a moment of magic from Reece James and a striker’s header from Cucurella got them over the line.
The win means that the Blues go into the final day of the season needing just a draw against Nottingham Forest to guarantee their place in UEFA’s premier competition next season.
However, Chelsea’s performance against United highlighted the desperate need for a number nine this summer.
Tyrique George was lively but lacked composure in front of goal and is not a natural striker.
Without Palmer’s magic or a timely goal from Cucurella, the Blues have struggled this season, and it would be no surprise to see them heighten their chase for Liam Delap in the coming weeks.