Wesley Fofana angered Adam Lallana following Sunday’s Premier League clash between Chelsea and Brighton at Stamford Bridge. After the dust settled on a post-match bust-up between the sides, footage emerged showing Fofana celebrating in Lallana’s face as the Seagulls were sent back to the south coast empty-handed.
A dramatic 14 minutes of second-half stoppage time saw emotions run high in west London. Brighton looked to have been awarded a last-gasp penalty for handball against Levi Colwill, but a VAR check overturned the decision and left the visitors deflated.
When the final whistle confirmed that 10-man Chelsea had held on to clinch a 3-2 victory, players from both teams were caught up in an angry confrontation. Lallana, who had been substituted before full time, was in the thick of the melee as he vented his anger at Colwill, Armando Broja and Benoit Badiashile.
Fofana then stoked the flames by running over to the scene of the argument, jumping on Badiashile’s back and laughing in Lallana’s face.
The action seemed to take Badiashile by surprise as he stumbled forwards into Lallana, who reacted angrily by attempting to pull Fofana off the Chelsea defender’s back. Ex-Brighton man Colwill then stepped in to diffuse the situation.
It turned out to be a disappointing afternoon for the Seagulls, who were expected to claw their way back into the game when Facundo Buonanotte halved the two-goal deficit before half time.
“It’s not only about building the way that you want to play, your philosophy on the pitch,” said the Argentine. “Before that, you need to belong to the team, you need to belong to the club, to settle yourself.
“You need to grow, need to get experience. Too many things before you can talk about playing from the back, or play with three or four offensive players, or with three or five at the back. That comes in after.”
