‘Making you trip over would have been well deserved’ – Conte pokes fun at Tuchel on Instagram

The game featured a number of twists and turns, with Chelsea feeling they had won the game when Reece James put them 2-1 ahead in the 77th minute, only for Tottenham to snatch a point deep into stoppage time through a Harry Kane equaliser.

After the final whistle sounded and the managers came together to shake hands, Tuchel refused to let go, indicating he did not appreciate Conte’s lack of eye-contact, sparking an exchange where the pair had to be separated, and both were shown red cards.

Handshake controversy: Thomas Tuchel hits out at referee, Antonio Conte remains tight-lipped

When queried about the altercation after the game, Tuchel insisted that “it’s between two competitors and nothing bad happened” and implied things were being blown out of proportion.

…red card on the pitch but still valid on social media.

Antonio Conte’s late night message to Tuchel on Instagram pic.twitter.com/lmYFxDEuKR

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 14, 2022

Conte said he believes the video of the situation exonerates him from any blame, and even implied the next time these sides meet there may not be a handshake, saying “next time we will pay more attention and don’t shake the hands and we solve the problem… he stays in his bench, I stay in my bench, with my staff on one side and no problem about this.”

He added: “For sure I am not passive. If I see aggressivity, then my answer is with aggressivity, but I repeat this is not a problem.”

WATCH: Handshake turns into confrontation! Tuchel, Conte sent off after Kane’s equaliser at Stamford Bridge

In the hours after the match, Conte took to Instagram to post a story of Tuchel running down the sideline while celebrating James’ go-ahead goal to make light of the situation, captioning it: “Lucky I didn’t see you… making you trip over would have been well deserved” followed by three laughing smiley faces, indicating it is meant with a tongue-in-cheek tone.

Chelsea will make the trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the return fixture on February 25.