Levi Colwill and James McClean spark BRAWL just two minutes into Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with League One Wrexham – with players and staff forced to rip the pair apart
- Chelsea had to come from behind to secure a draw against League One Wrexham
- After just two minutes, an altercation broke out between Colwill and McClean
- The California match was the first of the Blues’ five-match US pre-season tour
Levi Colwill and James McClean were involved in a heated confrontation on the pitch just three minutes after the Blues drew 2-2 with Wrexham.
Colwill, 21, reacted angrily to a late foul by the Irishman and grabbed him by the collar, sparking a brawl between the two sides.
Enzo Maresca’s team had to rely on Lesley Ugochukwu’s 82nd-minute equalizer to save their home team at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The Blues took the lead ten minutes from time in the first half through Christopher Nkunku, who fired the ball into the corner after the Welsh side failed to clear a corner from Reece James.
Two second-half goals from Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott almost gave Wrexham a stunning victory, but despite the draw the game was overshadowed by the battle between Colwill and McClean.
Levi Colwill and James McClean had to be separated after just two minutes in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Wrexham
Colwill, 20, reacted angrily to a late foul from McClean and grabbed him by the collar
Lesley Ugochukwu scored late in the game for the Blues to prevent a painful defeat
McClean, who made headlines at Euro 2024 for his criticism of Declan Rice, was handed the captain’s armband for the League One side’s match against Chelsea.
His early foul on Colwill looked like nothing more than a mistimed tackle, but the England defender appeared to disagree with the former Ireland international.
After Colwill took the initiative to grab each other by the shirts, the two began to wrestle, prompting players and staff from both teams to intervene.
It took several players from both sides to separate the two, but they let the incident go unchecked by the referee.
McClean is known for his aggressive nature, with the winger often getting involved in conflicts during his time in the Premier League with West Brom and Sunderland.
In 158 league games, McClean received 29 yellow cards and one red card.
The match in the United States was Enzo Maresca’s first match as coach of the Blues
The match, played near San Francisco, was the first of Maresca’s tenure with the Blues and kicked off a five-match pre-season tour of the US.
Chelsea will face clubs such as Celtic, Club America, Manchester City and Real Madrid over the next 11 days.
Meanwhile, Wrexham, co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have played two games of a three-game tour of North America.