Despite having walked away with just a point from the clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea looked a rejuvenated side at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were far from perfect in their clash with Everton on the opening day of the new Premier League season, but Thomas Tuchel looks to have transformed his side's fortunes as tempers flared in west London.
Kalidou Koulibaly opened the scoring against Spurs in the first-half before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg found an equaliser in controversial fashion, sparking the fuse of a ticking time bomb between Antonio Conte and Tuchel. In the build up to the north Londoners' leveller, Rodrigo Bentancur appeared to bring down Kai Havertz to win back possession, though the game was waved on.
As tensions ran high, Conte celebrated in front of Tuchel leading to a mass sideline bust-up and a yellow card a-piece. Tottenham were then awarded a corner in the latter minutes of the clash which saw Cristian Romero grab Marc Cucurella by his hair and pull him to ground.
READ MORE : Why Thiago Silva shouted at Kalidou Koulibaly as Chelsea beat Everton but prepare for Spurs test
VAR reviewed the altercation and dismissed Chelsea's claims of violent misconduct. Antony Taylor signalled for the Lilywhites to take the following corner which saw Harry Kane glance a header beyond Mendy at the far post.
After the final whistle, red mist descended on Stamford Bridge and yet another clash between the two managers was seen, resulting in Taylor sending both off. The needle - and injustice felt among the Chelsea camp - sets up a fantastic race for top-four this season.
Though, while near on impossible to call after just matchday two, football.london compares the west Londoners' next six games with their rivals Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United.
Leeds (A) - August 21
Their second away trip of the season won't be any easier than the first as they make the trip to Elland Road. Chelsea's record against the Yorkshire side is impressive, winning three of their last four bouts with three goals scored in each of their wins.
Last time the pair met, the Blues waltzed away 3-0 winners thanks to contributions from Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku. While the tie might not be as fiercely contested as the London derby, the west Londoners have a long history of rivalry with Leeds.
Nonetheless, Jesse Marsch's have got off to a good start this season coming from behind to beat Wolves in feisty affair.
Leicester (H) - August 27
Chelsea will be hoping to create further problems for Leicester when they return to Stamford Bridge. Brendan Rodgers has yet to make any additions to his side with Wesley Fofana heavily linked with a move to the Blues.
In the Foxes' previous tie against Arsenal, the 21-year-old dropped a huge hint on his future. After the final whistle in north London, a video from the stands saw Fofana applaud as we walked over to the Leicester fans.
While unclear and unconfirmed, the video looks to have caught the defender putting his head into his elbow as if he were wiping his face - or tears - before wiping his face with his shirt. Fofana proceeded to soak up the applause from the travelling support. The youngster's moment follows an admission from Rodgers, who confirmed Chelsea's initial two bids.
Southampton (A) - August 30
Southampton are another club widely tipped to struggle this season. They got off to a good start against Spurs but slowly fell away as the hosts ran riot.
They face Leeds and Leicester before enjoying back-to-back home clashes against two of the big six in Manchester United and the Blues. Their trip to St Mary's last season proved to be a delightful journey to the south coast when they ran out 6-0 winners.
West Ham (H) - September 4
It remains to be seen whether West Ham will look to infiltrate the Big Six's pursuit of European football. They did a good job of it last season under David Moyes but the Hammers have strengthened in the summer.
They proved to be difficult opponents during the last campaign as they made life tricky for the likes of United, Manchester City and Liverpool. Chelsea picked up three points in their last meeting, just, after Christian Pulisic fired home in stoppage time with Jorginho missing a penalty.
Fulham (A) - September 10
By the time they meet Fulham, their London rivals will be hoping to have stamped their mark on their return to the Premier League. Many fear Fulham will continue their yo-yo between the Championship and the English top flight.
But their curtain-raiser against Liverpool proved they will be no pushovers as they made life difficult for Jurgen Klopp's side. Aleksandr Mitrovic scored twice only for Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah to restore parity twice.
Chelsea will need to ensure they are at the races from the first whistle otherwise they could suffer similar problems to last season's runners-up.
Liverpool (H) - September 18
On the eve of the international break, the two German head coaches meet again. Both sides played out two classics during their encounter's last season with Mateo Kovacic scoring a goal of the season contender.
Liverpool made a slow start to the new campaign and by the time they visit South London, they will be wanting to be firing on all cylinders. Chelsea however will be eyeing revenge after losing out in the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup final to their Merseyside rivals.
Tottenham’s next six fixtures
Wolves (H) - August 20
Nottingham Forest (A) - August 28
West Ham (A) - August 31
Fulham (H) - September 3
Manchester City (A) - September 10
Leicester City (H) - September 17
Manchester United’s next six fixtures
Liverpool (H) - August 22
Southampton (A) - August 27
Leicester City (A) - September 1
Arsenal (H) - September 4
Crystal Palace (A) - September 11
Leeds (H) September 18
Arsenal's next six fixtures
Bournemouth (A) - August 20
Fulham (H) - August 27
Aston Villa (H) - August 31
Manchester United (A) - September 4
Everton (H) - September 11
Brentford (A) - September 18
READ NEXT:
Raheem Sterling realises Pep Guardiola Chelsea dream as Tuchel faces Frenkie de Jong question
Todd Boehly overdue £40m success breaks fundamental Chelsea transfer rule to set new trend
Timo Werner Chelsea exit exposes wider transfer mistake that Todd Boehly cannot repeat
Callum Hudson-Odoi Dortmund talks could finally end Chelsea's £150m transfer dead-end
