Reece James has praised manager Thomas Tuchel amid the controversy that surrounds the German and Antonio Conte after Sunday's 2-2 Premier League draw between Chelsea and Tottenham.
The Blues were in command for large parts of the 90 minutes but some key refereeing decisions went against the home side, with Spurs goals resulting from two of them made by on-field official Anthony Taylor's and VAR referee Mike Dean.
Just before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg netted with his strike in the 68th minute, 40 seconds earlier Tuchel was adamant Rodrigo Bentancur fouled Kai Havertz, who was just about to break through on goal before the challenge was made.
READ MORE: The decision Chelsea have taken after Tottenham draw that highlights problem Thomas Tuchel faces
That itself prompted the first square-up between the two managers on the sidelines. Then in the dying minutes, Marc Cucurella's hair being pulled aggressively wasn't picked up by Taylor, while VAR decided it did not warrant a red card, with Harry Kane heading in from the resulting corner.
“I don’t think just some of the fans think that," Tuchel said on the refereeing injustices in his post-match press conference. "I can assure you the whole dressing room of us, every single person, thinks that. I can’t understand how the first goal is not offside and I can’t understand when a player is pulled by their hair, the other player stays on the pitch.
"Pull someone else’s hair, stay on the pitch and attack the last corner. This is for me without any explanation and I don’t want to accept it. Both goals should not stand and it’s a fair result because we were brilliant, deserved to win. This is my point of view.”
He then went on to clarify whether or not he wanted to see Taylor banned from future Blues fixtures, comments that have put him potentially in trouble with the FA, who have now charged Tuchel and Conte with "alleged improper behaviour" relating to their conduct after the game.
“Maybe it would be better," Tuchel said of the possibility of Taylor not refereeing their games. "Maybe it would be better. But honestly, we also have VAR to help make the right decision. Since when can players be pulled by hair? Since when is that [not a foul]? If he does not see it, I do not blame him. I didn’t see it.
"But we have people at VAR who check this. Then you see it and how can this not be a free-kick and a red card? This doesn’t even had to do with the referee in this case. If he does not see something, that’s why we have people to check if there is a decisive error going on.”
Aside from the controversy, certain Blues stars put in stand-out performances over the 90 minutes. Look no further than right-sided centre-back for the day James, who didn't just score on the pitch but scored well too in football.london's player ratings and in the eyes of former Premier League ace Yannick Bolasie.
Our player rating read: "Looked sharp in duels with Son Heung-min. Booked in the first-half for an excellent tactical foul on Son. Took his goal really well. Class as always. 8."
One day later from the draw, James broke his silence on what he thought of what happened during the 90 minutes but instead of concentrating on the Tuchel controversy, the 22-year-old wanted to hone in his manager's crazy celebrations for the second goal.
He posted on his Instagram story @reecejames, the message: 'Boss' celebration was better than mine [followed by two emojis].'
Chelsea fans- Do you think long-term Reece James would suit the right-centre-back role more than the wing-back one? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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