Thomas Tuchel has revealed that his side needed no added motivation to beat Leicester City after Daniel Amartey threw down a Chelsea pennant following the FA Cup final.
After losing the FA Cup final to Leicester City on Saturday, Tuchel’s men did look dangerous on Tuesday night as they responded with a 2-1 Premier League win to put the Foxes’ top-four ambition in danger.
Amartey had come under fire for his action after being captured on video throwing the Chelsea pennant onto the ground, while celebrating their cup victory in the dressing room at Wembley.
Despite issuing an apology for his action, Amartey, who was an unused substitute in yesterday’s game, was in the thick of affairs yet again.
The Ghana international launched into a heavy altercation after Ricardo Pereira’s nasty challenge on Ben Chilwell in the closing stages of the match.
Asked if he had discussed the pennant issue with his squad before the game, Tuchel said:
“I did not talk about it; I know there was that incident, but I did not talk about it before the match or in any meetings.
“The players were well aware. But I’m not into these things too much, because it can sometimes give you too much energy and feelings of revenge. I don’t like this at all.
“We do what we do and that’s to play football on the highest level possible.
“We need energy and hunger and that makes us a difficult team to play. And there’s nothing more I can say about it.”
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers insisted the officials handled the situation perfectly, and that none of the players overstepped the mark.
“It was two sets of players in a competitive situation, and that’s what happens obviously when you have two games in quick succession and we’re fighting for the points like they are,” said Rodgers.
“The referees and the officials dealt with it well, so it’s okay.”
