Chelsea face tough reunion in Man City clash just weeks after coughing up £40,000 fine

Chelsea face a tricky encounter with referee John Brooks on Saturday, just days after being punished by the Football Association for the conduct of its players towards the official.

The Blues were fined £40,000 on Tuesday after being charged by the FA for failing to ensure their players did not behave inappropriately during their 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town on December 30 .

Chelsea players were left furious by the decision to award Ipswich a penalty, with several of their players seen surrounding the referee.

Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill also received yellow cards for dissent later in the match and they have now been punished.

An FA statement read: “Chelsea have been fined £40,000 after surrounding a match official during the Premier League match against Ipswich Town on Monday December 30, 2024.

“The club admitted that in the 10th minute of the match they failed to ensure that their players did not behave inappropriately. The sanction was then imposed by an independent regulatory commission.

But it won't be long before they meet again, as Brooks has been appointed to oversee Chelsea's next Premier League game on January 25, when they face champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

There could be some angst in the Chelsea camp over such an appointment after they were unhappy with Brooks' decision to award a controversial penalty in the 10th minute of the game against Ipswich.

Delap was found guilty of a foul by Filip Jorgensen inside the penalty area and the kick was awarded by John Brooks. VAR manager Michael Oliver confirmed the decision on the pitch after a brief check.

Explaining the process, the Premier League released a statement which read: “The referee's penalty call for a foul by Jorgensen on Delap was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed that there was contact enough for a penalty.”

However, replays broadcast immediately after the incident appeared to cast doubt on whether there was any contact between Delap and Jorgensen.

The decision stood, however, and Delap converted the penalty, before Omari Hutchinson sealed the points late on.

Enzo Maresca's side have struggled to contain their disciplinary problems this season, having also paid a huge £75,000 fine on October 6.

The Blues became the first team in Premier League history to have six or more players booked in three separate matches in the same season following a fiery clash with Nottingham Forest.

The visitors finished the match at 10 men and Chelsea were accused of failing to control their players after an on-field brawl broke out.

Only Southampton (65) have collected more yellow cards than the west London club's total of 64 bookings this season, and further trouble could await them if tempers crumble in Manchester.