Chelsea Faces FA Charge Over Bottle Incident After Villa Match

Aston Villa currently stands third in the Premier League, while Chelsea occupies the eighth position on the table.

The Football Association (FA) has charged Chelsea following an incident in which a bottle was thrown towards Aston Villa’s bench at the conclusion of their match in December.

The plastic water bottle was hurled in the aftermath of Villa’s 2-1 comeback victory at Stamford Bridge, which was ignited by two late goals from Ollie Watkins, prompting exuberant celebrations from the visiting team.

According to an FA statement, “It is alleged that the club failed to ensure its players and/or other relevant personnel positioned around the technical area after the final whistle did not behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or abusive way.”

Initially, there was uncertainty regarding whether the bottle was thrown from the stands or from within the technical area, but it was reported to have showered staff with a liquid that appeared to be water.

A member of Villa’s backroom staff was observed pointing towards Chelsea’s bench as they celebrated their joint-record eleventh consecutive win across all competitions.

Chelsea has been conducting an investigation into the incident but has not yet issued a public comment regarding the charge.

BBC Sport has reached out to Chelsea for additional commentary following this development.