Was Bournemouth vs Chelsea Really the Dirtiest Premier League Game Ever?

Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth set a brand new Premier League file for essentially the most yellow playing cards in a match, but it surely actually wasn’t very scrappy.

Now not does the Battle of the Bridge maintain (nicely, share) the file for essentially the most yellow playing cards dished out in a Premier League sport. One of the vital notorious matches within the competitors’s historical past, it nonetheless retains notoriety and even a spot within the hearts of many people who cherished the mayhem, however one among its important claims to fame has now been misplaced.

On that day in Might 2016, Chelsea and Tottenham performed out a gripping 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, with Spurs’ incapability to win in the end ending their Premier League title pursuit and crowning Leicester Metropolis champions.

It was a Premier League traditional whichever method you checked out it, however the reality it performed such a significant function in essentially the most outstanding and unlikely title success within the competitors’s historical past solely made the event that rather more memorable.

Twelve yellow playing cards have been handed out to gamers in that sport, equalling the file set in August 2010 when Newcastle and Wolves tussled. The 9 given to Spurs remains to be essentially the most ever proven to at least one workforce in a single match, although each side greater than performed their half in an totally bruising encounter.

Nevertheless, Saturday’s conflict between Bournemouth and Chelsea managed to surpass the full of 12 playing cards brandished by Mark Clattenburg eight years in the past.

Anthony Taylor was the person on the centre of all of it this time. Whether or not his strategy was warranted or not isn’t for us to say, however underneath the floodlights on the Vitality Stadium, the referee flashed his yellow 14 occasions – and that doesn’t embody these he waved within the route of teaching employees.

As such, Bournemouth vs Chelsea grew to become the cardiest sport (coined it) in Premier League historical past; and but, the match – which ended as a 1-0 win for Chelsea – by no means felt prefer it lived as much as it’s new (un)official title because the Dirtiest Premier League Sport Ever. It actually didn’t rival the Battle of the Bridge for sheer mania nor aggression.

The truth is, the 25 free-kicks awarded by Taylor sees the sport solely simply break into the highest 20 (18th) matches for fouls this season (there’s solely been a complete of 40 fixtures), with Aston Villa vs Leicester Metropolis on the finish of August main the best way on 34.

Taylor obtained important criticism for his hardline strategy. He’s additionally not been given a sport to referee this weekend, which doesn’t essentially imply his bosses have been displeased, in all probability extra probably that they want to take him out of the firing line.

Fairly than it really being an particularly scrappy match, the sport was extra of an exhibition in officers’ stricter judgement in relation to punishing sure offences.

At first of the 2023-24 season, new refereeing directives have been launched because the Skilled Sport Match Officers Restricted (PGMOL) seemed to clamp down on sure behaviour, most notably time-wasting and dissent.

The edge for dissent resulting in a yellow card appeared to be decreased in an particularly decisive method, with steerage suggesting that just about any participant approaching a referee could be at critical threat of a yellow card if there was already somebody in dialog with the official.

Make no mistake, the outcomes have been stark.

Opta has detailed information on playing cards going again to the beginning of the 2006-07 season, that means every offence over the previous 19 campaigns (together with 2024-25) has a classification. In that point, playing cards have been handed out for dissent, foul language and referee abuse; for comfort and consistency, we’re grouping these three collectively right here.

Within the 2023-24 season, 216 yellow playing cards have been proven for such offences – that was an enormous enhance. The earlier excessive was 159 in 2016-17, and that was one among solely 5 situations on file of there being greater than 100 playing cards proven for dissent in a single season. Moreover, the 216 yellow playing cards for dissent in 2023-24 was 130 greater than the marketing campaign earlier than.

That additionally accounted for 13.5% (216/1,602) of all yellow playing cards, which is the best proportion that dissent has made up over a full season on file, going past the 11.4% of 2016-17.

This season isn’t fairly on the similar ranges as 2023-24 but. Nevertheless, with 17 yellows given for dissent over the opening 4 matchdays, the league is averaging 0.43 per sport; that’s a way off the 0.57 of final time period, granted, but it surely nonetheless ranks second on file for frequency. Clearly it’s solely early days, and there’s nonetheless loads of time for issues to alter in both route.

However, Taylor’s work on the Vitality Stadium highlighted how refusing to tolerate any notion of disrespect remains to be very a lot on the agenda for referees, as 4 of the 14 he confirmed to gamers have been labeled underneath dissent. It’s additionally price noting he confirmed a minimum of two to members of teaching employees, and whereas these aren’t included within the numbers, it casts further gentle on the makes an attempt to silence dissenters.

Adam Smith, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Antoine Semenyo have been the gamers in hassle on the Vitality Stadium. Throughout the entire Premier League, eight yellows have been proven for dissent on Saturday; solely three days on file – all of which have been final season – have seen extra playing cards handed out for such an offence, whereas this weekend smashed the earlier file (57) for essentially the most yellow playing cards (any offence) proven over a spherical of Premier League fixtures (65).

Final season, there have been two events when referees confirmed a minimum of 4 yellow playing cards to gamers for dissent in a single sport; earlier than that, there’d been only one occasion (in October 2021) of officers reserving a minimum of 4 gamers for dissent in the identical sport. You then have to return to the 2016-17 season for the subsequent two most up-to-date events.

However as talked about earlier than, there was additionally a clamp down on time-wasting in the beginning of final season. That seems to nonetheless be very a lot on the agenda as nicely, with Premier League referees averaging 0.33 yellows per sport for time-wasting in 2024-25.

Once more, though that’s a little bit of a lower from final season (0.45 per sport), it’s nonetheless far more frequent than every other marketing campaign on file. However maybe they’re discovering a happier medium in 2024-25, because the 172 playing cards for time-wasting in 2023-24 represented a 93.3% enhance on the earlier season-high (89 in 2022-23).

It’s price stating, although, that this isn’t the primary time we’ve seen dramatic will increase in sure refereeing habits. The 2016-17 season has come up just a few occasions right here, and with good purpose.

The Premier League and PGMOL made a concerted effort to return down onerous on dissent particularly forward of 2016-17, with Richard Scudamore – then Premier League government chairman – saying it was their “collective place that these kind of behaviour ought to now not be tolerated”.

Howard Webb, a former referee and on the time an analyst on BT Sport, mentioned in a column for The Instances in August 2016 that it was a “change I welcome – if it lasts”. It’s in all probability truthful to say it didn’t final in any other case it wouldn’t have been essential to implement a stricter strategy final season, however Webb is now among the many key decision-makers, having been appointed PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer in 2022.

Webb’s been vocal on dissent for years now, and whereas historical past suggests clampdowns are sometimes solely momentary, this time it looks like there’s better resolve to demand respect.

With Premier League playing cards per sport (4.9) at an all-time excessive in 2024-25, officers are laying down the regulation in contrast to ever earlier than.

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