Antonio Conte addresses tunnel bust-up with Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic

was involved in a bust-up with Mateo Kovacic after the fiery 2-2 draw between and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

There was plenty of controversy in the derby, with Blues boss and Spurs manager Conte clashing twice during the game, with a heated exchange at the full-time whistle resulting in both managers getting sent off.

That was not to be the end of the matter however, as reports emerged after the match that Conte had been involved in a third bust-up at the Bridge, this time with Chelsea midfielder Kovacic.

According to reports, Conte barged into Kovacic, who did not take part in the game due to injury, in the tunnel leading to the Croatian to start arguing with the Italian and his coaching staff.

However, when asked in his post-match press conference about the incident, Conte refused to explain exactly what had occurred, remaining as coy as he had been when explaining the two Tuchel confrontations.

‘I think this is not important,’ he said.

‘It can happen when passion is high on both sides. The celebration was very clear, what this game means for the two clubs. Maybe also for the two managers.’

Both Tuchel incidents occurred soon after each Tottenham goal, as each was scored in a dubious manner, with the Chelsea boss later implying that his team had been robbed of the win.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s equaliser could have been chalked off for a foul in the build-up on Kai Havertz, as well as for Richarlison obstructing Edouard Mendy’s view while in an offside position.

And just before the corner that led to Harry Kane’s equaliser deep into stoppage time, the officials failed to notice Cristian Romero dragging Marc Cucurella down by the hair.

At the full-time whistle, the managers went to shake hands only for Tuchel to hold on to Conte and chastise his opposite number for not looking him in the eye.

After the game, both Tuchel and Conte downplayed the arguments, putting them down to the passion and intensity of the game and the rivalry between the two clubs.

‘It was not necessary, but a lot of things were not necessary,’ Tuchel said.

‘Come on guys, it’s between two competitors and nothing bad happened. It’s emotional, football. We don’t need to heat it up. You have emotional coaches on the touchline and that’s it.’

Conte added: ‘My opinion is it’s better to talk about the game. It was a difficult game for both teams, and we try in every game to be competitive.

‘I don’t want to comment on the situation, this is not the most important thing. If there’s a problem, it’s between me and him.’

, .