The numbers certainly stack up: 25 fouls, 14 yellow cards and one penalty. Another set of digits – 0-1 – confirm that Chelsea defeated Bournemouth at their Vitality Stadium home in September 2025, but the result of the game was a mere footnote to the carnage that had ensued between the two teams.
Referee Anthony Taylor took on the air of an orchestral conductor, rather than a match official, waving his hands at all and sundry throughout the contest – typically with a yellow card grasped between his fingers. In the end, he cautioned 14 different players: breaking the all-time EPL record for most yellow cards shown in a single match. Here’s the tale of the tape of the Premier League’s dirtiest ever game.
The Most Yellow Cards Shown in a Premier League Game
There is no obvious rivalry between Bournemouth and Chelsea. They’re not local rivals, nor are they typically ultra-competitive on the pitch in terms of their Premier League finishing position. But on this fateful evening of Saturday, September 14, 2024, all hell broke loose in a reminder of just how fraught seemingly-civil games of football can become.
The action got underway as early as the 18th minute, when Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie scythed down Ryan Palmer with a high tackle. It was a cautionable foul, make no mistake, but set the tone for the rather long evening ahead for Taylor and the players under his charge.
Yellow Cards Goal’ore
Five more bookings were taken during a feisty first period. Wesley Fofana was next up; the Chelsea defender too forceful in an aerial challenge with Evanilson. He was joined in the referee’s notebook by Lewis Cook (foul), Marc Cucurella (foul), Robert Sanchez (foul) and Adam Smith (dissent), who was incensed that Sanchez wasn’t sent off for mowing down Evanilson.
Evanilson wins a penalty for Bournemouth after being brought down by Robert Sanchez…
… before the Chelsea keeper denies him from the spot and the scores stay level! 🧤 pic.twitter.com/DksKRA5jun
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 14, 2024
It was more of the same in the second half, with Chelsea’s Nicholas Jackson cautioned for dissent just seven minutes after the restart. Levi Colwill (foul), Jadon Sancho (dissent) and Justin Kluivert (foul) soon had their names taken too, before a remarkable 21 minutes passed without a card being shown.
But that simply set the scene for the chaos that would unfold in the remainder of the game. Marcos Senesi clattered Joao Felix, before Renato Veiga was cautioned for jumping into the away end to celebrate Christoper Nkunku’s late goal.
There was still time for Felix to be booked for an over-exuberant tackle on Alex Scott, while Antoine Semenyo was yellow carded in the 96th minute for dissent – no doubt the frustration and unhinged emotion of the game proving too much for the Bournemouth winger. Phew, that was exhausting to write about, let alone play in!
Issue with Referee
The game was not without its recriminations. Taylor was pulled from his refereeing duties the following week having been the victim of abuse on social media, although there was no report from the Premier League to suggest it was dissatisfied with his officiating of the contest.
Both Bournemouth and Chelsea were fined £25,000 for their part in the madness; small change to a Premier League club, but a reminder of their responsibility to behave themselves out on the pitch.
After the match, Chelsea head coach, Enzo Maresca, got his breath back before commenting:
It’s not a problem this amount of yellow cards. It is what it is. Sometimes the game demands the way you have to behave.
Yellow Peril
Wolverhampton vs Newcastle
One of the milestone moments in terms of EPL naughtiness came back in 2010, when a game between the Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United became the first to have a dozen cautions – at the time, that was the Premier League record for most yellow cards shown.
That was a contest marred by frustration and niggling fouls, but it was nothing compared to the infamous Battle of the Bridge, where Chelsea entertained Tottenham in May 2016.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
It was, undoubtedly, the most violent game in Premier League history. Only 12 yellow cards were shown – therefore matching the mark set by Wolves vs Newcastle six years earlier, but this was one of the few times that an EPL match threatened to veer into criminal behaviour.
Tottenham needed to win in order to preserve their title challenge, while in the pre-match interviews some of Chelsea players spoke of their determination to derail their London rivals’ hopes. The scene was well and truly set. The first half wasn’t all that eventful in terms of aggression: just two yellow cards were shown heading into injury time. But then, well, all hell broke loose.
Danny Rose launched into a wild lunge on Willian, and it was as if the pressure cooker that had built before the game was suddenly released: a mini brawl broke out on the touchline, with shoves and butting heads followed by Mousa Dembele’s eye poke on Diego Costa.
Such was the danger of the episode degenerating into an all-out fight, Tottenham boss, Mauricio Pochettino, was forced to run onto the pitch to separate the players. Only two yellow cards were shown after the fracas had cooled, plus a further eight in the second half – bringing the total up to 12. The nine cautions shown to Tottenham was the most ever accumulated by a single team in a Premier League game.
Tottenham vs Sheffield United
Spurs were once again involved in a record when they met Sheffield United in September 2023. They were shown six yellow cards and the Blades five as the game closed in on the Premier League record, before United’s Oli McBurnie took matters into his own hands.
A yellow card, followed by a second in the 104th minute of action, saw him sent off and the contest confirmed as the dirtiest in Premier League history, until Bournemouth and Chelsea’s slobberknocker a year later.
