Following Chelsea’s disastrous title defence last campaign, the Blues have made a fantastic start to the Premier League season under Antonio Conte.
The Italian only arrived in the summer but has already made the west London club a forced to be reckoned with in the opening four months of the campaign.
A change to a 3-4-3 formation has done Conte’s men the world of good and have gone on a nine-game winning run, since their loss to Arsenal in September.
Victory over West Brom on Sunday afternoon reinstated Chelsea’s three-point lead over second-placed Arsenal, with a goal from Diego Costa enough to claim all three points.
However, the club’s title challenge is at risk of being dealt a serious blow, with the FA having previously stated, in writing, that they could face a points deduction if their poor disciplinary record was to continue.
That warning was handed out following last season’s derby with Tottenham, in which the Blues appealed the club’s wrongdoing following an ill-tempered match, after having racked up four fines over a short period of time.
And having been at the centre of further controversy, following last weekend’s 3-1 Premier League win over Manchester City, in which both clubs were charged for the incident, Chelsea are at serious risk of being deducted points.
It’s the fifth time in 19 months that Chelsea have breached FA Rule E20, regarding the behaviour of players, and it appears Conte’s men could have overstepped the mark one too many times.
Both Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero were sent off for City against Chelsea last weekend, but it’s the Blues who face the biggest consequences for the brawl that involved all 22 players, substitutes and both clubs’ coaching staff.
However, as per the Mirror, when asked about the potential points deduction, Conte revealed he felt any such punishment would be completely unjustified.
“Are you joking? If you’re involved in a situation, and the fault isn’t yours, why must you pay? Why?” Conte responded.
“You must be honest to understand when the fault is with both teams, or just one team.
“After the game, City vs Chelsea, you can see very clear – my players tried to keep the calm.”
Fernandinho was sent off for grabbing Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas by the neck, after the Spaniard had appeared to slap the City star, while Aguero was sent for a horror tackle on David Luiz.
The last time Premier League clubs had controversially been deducted points for disciplinary problems was when Manchester United and Arsenal were caught up in a mass brawl at Old Trafford in October 1990. But Conte is hoping his team will avoid such punishment on this occasion.