Cesc Fabregas was sent off during Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Liverpool in the International Champions Cup.
Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas (C) in action with Liverpool’s Ragnar Klavan before he gets a red card
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas apologised for the tackle on Liverpool’s Ragnar Klavan which saw the Spaniard sent off in the Blues pre-season win in Los Angeles.
Gary Cahill’s header from a Fabregas corner in the early stages of the game was enough to settle the contest but Antonio Conte’s side had to see out the final 20 minutes game with 10 men.
Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas looks dejected after getting a red card
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told reporters after the game, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, that Fabregas had apologised for the challenge on the Estonian.
Klopp said: “It’s a red card and I hope it’s not a mentality issue.
“He (Fabregas) came in the dressing room and said sorry, he came too late in the challenge.
“Sometimes in life if you are too late then you get a red card. That’s how it was.”
Chelsea’s manager Antonio Conte with Liverpool’s manager Juergen Klopp
Conte also apologised publicly for the challenge in his post-match press conference, and is quoted by the Mirror saying: “I am sorry and the player is too. I am sorry for him and the Liverpool player.”
It was a pretty feisty affair in Los Angeles between the two Premier League sides as they continue their preparations for the upcoming season as it seemed that neither side really wanted to shy away from the challenges, even though the really competitive stuff begins in just over two weeks’ time.
Chelsea’s Gary Cahill celebrates scoring a goal
It seems that both managers want to put things behind them and have put the challenge down to a degree of rustiness that comes with pre-season games as Fabregas mistimed his challenge on the Liverpool debutant.
One wonders if it will be similarly physical when the two sides meet in mid-September at Stamford Bridge.
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