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FootballKalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic Clash As Graham Potter’s Chelsea Drop Points vs Everton
- Player disharmony rocked Chelsea as Mateo Kovacic and Kalidou Koulibaly appeared to have a go at each other
- The two players exchanged words during Chelsea's game against Everton on March 18th
- The Blues ended up dropping valuable points, with their European dreams taking another hit
Chelsea players Kalidou Koulibaly and Mateo Kovacic were involved in a heated altercation during their Premier League game against Everton on Saturday evening.
Chelsea dropped points against relegation-threatened Everton after a late goal from Ellis Simms condemned Graham Potter to a disappointing draw.
The Blues looked set to make it four out of four wins in all competitions but were pegged back twice by a resilient Sean Dyche side.
Joao Felix scored his second goal in Chelsea colours before Abdoulaye Doucore restored parity with a beautiful lobbed header past Kepa Arrizabalaga. Kai Havertz thought he had won the game for Chelsea with a penalty in the 76th minute, only for Simms to come off the bench and score his first Premier League goal.
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Kovacic/Koulibaly clash
Apart from the result, Potter will have other issues to contend with as two of his stars appeared to trade blame in the middle of the game.
As Chelsea prepared to take a corner in the 61st minute, Kovacic and Koulibaly appeared to exchange harsh words, with their teammates quickly stepping in to calm the tension.
It is not clear what the issue between the two was. Kovacic was the captain of the day, as he has been in the last three games, in the continued absence of Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva.
The Croatian was taken off in the 81st minute, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek taking his place. The two players, plus Potter, will use the international break to cool down and re-strategise before resuming with a game against Aston Villa with a double-legged tie against Real Madrid on the horizon as well.
Simms strikes late as Everton earn valuable draw at Chelsea
FootballChelsea owner reacts to Everton draw
Sports Brief has also reported that Chelsea's co-controlling owner Todd Boehly issued a savage response at the end of the game.
Boehly was among the fans at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening and wasn't too impressed with the result. The draw ended Graham Potter's winning run of three games in all competitions.
Despite not losing the game, Chelsea will still feel hard done for dropping points to relegation candidates. Footage reportedly taken after the game captured Boehly giving his explicit thoughts on the match