Chelsea Charged by FA Over Alleged Aston Villa Incident

Chelsea have been charged by the Football Association (FA) after a bottle was thrown towards the Aston Villa bench at Stamford Bridge after Unai Emery’s men won 2-1 in their Premier League clash on December 27. A statement by the FA has now been released regarding the ongoing situation.

Chelsea, still managed by Enzo Maresca at that point, opened the scoring within 37 minutes courtesy of Joao Pedro after a scramble of bodies in the Villa penalty area. Ollie Watkins, though, was at the double in the second half and his two-goal haul completed a statement comeback.

The atmosphere turned sour upon the full-time whistle being blown as a bottle was launched in the direction of the away bench. Soon after the match, The Telegraph reported that Chelsea would be opening their own investigation into the incident and the FA have now released a statement.

FA Release Statement As Chelsea Charged for Aston Villa Incident

By virtue of the fact that both sides are pushing for a spot in the top four come May 2026, things threatened to spill over on numerous occasions throughout the match in the capital – and that did happen when Stuart Attwell concluded the affair as a bottle was thrown at a triumphant Villa bench.

The Villa players, due to the fact they had just picked up a club-record 11th win on the bounce, celebrated on the pitch and with the fans that had completed the Birmingham-to-London commute on that Saturday, though celebrations were somewhat marred by the incident on the touchline.

There are photos (as seen below), however, that clearly capture the moment the bottle flew through the air and towards those on the Villa bench.

At the time the bottle was thrown, it was unclear whether the bottle was thrown by someone from the stands or from inside Chelsea’s technical area. It showered the Villa staff with what appeared to be water and one member of the visiting backroom staff was seen pointing in the direction of the home dugout.

On Friday, the FA confirmed the Blues had been charged with a breach of FA Rule E20.1 following the aforementioned incident at Stamford Bridge once the full-time whistle had been blown.

FA Rule E20.1 states that clubs are responsible for ensuring that representatives do not “behave in a way which is improper, offensive, violent, threatening, abusive, indecent, insulting or provocative”. To accompany their impending investigation, the English football governing body have released the following statement:

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Another victory for Unai Emery’s title chasing Villans.

Following the match, it was reported that Chelsea – who are yet to comment on the FA’s investigation, according to BBC Sport – will do everything in their power to co-operate with Villa, which includes finding out exactly where the bottle was thrown from and who threw it.

It is unclear whether the incident, which occurred at full-time, was included in Attwell’s post-match report but, irrespective of that, the west Londoners have until Monday, January 12 to respond to the charge.

A Tricky Start to Rosenior’s Career in the Stamford Bridge Dugout

With Maresca, widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football, no longer in the hotseat and the less-experienced Liam Rosenior in his place, being slapped with a charge from the FA wouldn’t have been the sweetest of welcomes for the Englishman, who will take charge of his first match on Saturday.

The Blues travel across the English capital to face Nathan Jones’ Charlton Athletic, who ply their trade in the Championship, in the FA Cup. By no stretch of the imagination an easy match, London-born Rosenior could really do with kick-starting his spell with a victory – but the Addicks will put a fight.

Four days later, Rosenior’s men play host to Arsenal in the League Cup. A much tougher test on his second outing, the 41-year-old could become the new hero in the Stamford Bridge echo chamber if he could snag Mikel Arteta’s number on their first meeting. Brentford at home, in the Premier League, follows before Chelsea host David Luiz and Pafos in the Champions League in the days to follow.