Cesar Azpilicueta detailed a much friendlier follow-up interaction with the Chelsea supporter that opposed him after the Arsenal defeat.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Azpilicueta said he spotted the same fan at Stamford Bridge following Sunday’s narrow victory over West Ham United.
In the previous London derby, the Spaniard and the season-ticket holder seemingly had some choice words to say to one another.
Chelsea had just lost 4-2 to Arsenal in quite miserable circumstances, therefore emotions were understandably running high on the pitch and in the stands.
Andreas Christensen’s early mistake gifted the Gunners a goal, before a mishap between Malang Sarr and N’Golo Kante provided Eddie Nketiah with his second of the night.
Cesar clashes with Chelsea fan
Azpilicueta compounded his team’s misery by giving away a penalty in added time, topping off an awful evening for the Blues.
The defender then came to what looked like blows with the Chelsea follower, who had stuck around after the final whistle to give a piece of his mind.
However, the Spain international played down the discussion, clearing up that it was simply a back-and-forth of valid opinions.
“It looked worse than it was. It was at the end of the game and I was angry at my performance, angry at the result, angry at the penalty and I spotted him in the crowd,” he explained.
“But nothing to do with him. It was just an exchange of words. We spoke clearly that he wanted more fight from the team, and he was right.
“I expressed my view that in this moment, everybody was having a moment of difficulty and we needed to push altogether in the same direction.
“The other day, after the game (West Ham), I saw him again and gave him the captain’s armband.”
A merrier Stamford Bridge
Clearly, the mode inside the ground was lifted considerably in the subsequent fixture.
Thomas Tuchel’s men took their time to break through West Ham’s fortress, but eventually did so through a late Christian Pulisic winner.
This victory against the Hammers ended a run of three straight home defeats for Chelsea and quelled some of the concerns lingering over the club.
But a narrow win over a near rival will not completely cover all the cracks.
There is still plenty of work for Tuchel to do before the campaign concludes, especially as their top-four spot in the Premier League is not mathematically confirmed yet.
Plus, Chelsea cannot replicate their recent performances against Liverpool in the FA Cup final next month.
Perhaps the man with Azpilicueta’s armband has some suggestions of what needs changing!
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