The pair were alike throughout the second half, but the feud reached boiling point shortly after the final whistle after Harry Kane scored a last-gasp equalizer for the visitors.
Things looked relatively calm as both managers went for the usual handshake, but the two coaches erupted when it appeared Tuchel would not let Conte’s hand after the Spurs boss failed to look his corresponding number in the eye.
Staff and players from both sides ran to separate the two men in what was a fitting end to a fiery match played in sweltering heat.
“It was hot in the heat, hot in between the seats, hot in the stadium, hot in the spectators – all you want and hope for in a game like this so early in the season,” Tuchel told the BBC.
“No hard feelings. I feel like it was a fair treatment of him [Conte] And fair treatment of me.
“We didn’t insult each other, we didn’t hit each other, we were fighting for our teams, and for my part, there are absolutely no hard feelings. I’m surprised we both got red cards for it.”
The pair clashed earlier in the match after Conte angered Tuchel with his fiery celebrations when Tottenham initially tied to make the score 1-1, and Pierre-Emile Hojberg canceled Kalidou Koulibaly’s opener.
Tuchel, however, wasn’t shrinking after Reece James made it 2-1 against Chelsea, as the German ran onto the touchline after admitting the match had “got me in”.
“Lucky I didn’t see you”
After the match, Tuchel was more annoyed with the officiating performance than Anthony Taylor and upset about the decisions that led to the two Spurs goals.
The Chelsea boss was upset after striker Kai Havertz was apparently brought down by Rodrigo Bentancur in preparation for Tottenham’s first goal, which also included a possible offside.
The situation only intensified after Tottenham defender Christian Romero pulled the hair of full back Marc Cucurella at the corner that led to Kane’s goal in the 96th minute.
The Football Association said it would investigate Tuchel’s comments after the match, which criticized Taylor’s performance.
Meanwhile, former Chelsea boss Conte would not be drawn to commenting on stormy touchline behaviour, but he directed a tongue-in-cheek comment on social media to his counterpart.
The handshake between the managers – and its reminders – has been widely shared on social media and all eyes will now turn to the rematch in February next year.
The penalty for red cards will now be determined by an independent regulatory committee.
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