Marc Cucurella received a red card for "adopting an aggressive attitude" after the final whistle in Chelsea's 2-1 triumph over Brentford. The Spanish defender, who netted the first goal of the match, was caught up in a post-match fracas with Fabio Carvalho following referee Peter Bankes' signal to end the Premier League encounter.
Cucurella, initially booked during added time, was then astonishingly given a second yellow card post-match. The altercation between him and Carvalho at the final whistle drew other players to rush over and intervene.
Bankes ultimately sent off Cucurella, sidelining him for Chelsea's upcoming fixture against Everton on December 22, with the Blues having closed the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table.
The Premier League clarified the reason behind his dismissal. According to Match Centre X: "The referee issued a second yellow card to Cucurella for adopting an aggressive attitude. Schade was also booked for the same offence."
Cucurella had earlier scored with a header from Noni Madueke's delivery. Nicolas Jackson extended Chelsea's lead before Bryan Mbeumo notched a late goal for Brentford. Chelsea now sit just two points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand after last weekend's Merseyside derby was postponed.
After the match, goal-scorer Jackson reflected on the match's challenges and their triumph: "[It was a] very big win. Not an easy game. They're a difficult side to play against. It was difficult because they always play set-pieces. But we won. I'm very happy."
"Listen to the manager, respect the plan and we did that. It was more difficult at the end because they wanted to score again. We're getting to know each other better. Last year is finished, now we're concentrating on this year. I missed that one but I was thinking I'll get another one and try to score to help the team win. I did exactly that.
"It's all about getting more experience. I'm getting more confident. We're just trying to win every game and focus on the next one. I don't look at the table."