Five of the biggest brawls in football
There have been some almighty scraps over the years and Tim Spiers has picked out five of the most notorious pitch battles in football history.
When Rangers defender Bilel Mohsni took offence to being pushed in the back at the end of the club's play-off defeat to Motherwell, he sparked a full-scale brawl after aiming a kick and a punch at Lee Erwin.
Here are five more shockers:
1. Francis Lee v Norman Hunter, 1975
Seconds out, round one. And what better way to kick off our list than with the mother of all football fights. Hunter threw the first punch, splitting Lee's lip before Lee channelled the spirit of Joe Frazier, throwing left and right hooks at Hunter. However, the fact Lee was half a foot shorter meant he looked like an angry rhino trying to punch a giraffe in the face.
2. Kieron Dyer v Lee Bowyer, 2005
Not even being on the same team stops enraged footballers from laying into each other. Newcastle chums Dyer and Bowyer famously saw red after the latter took umbrage with the former not passing the ball to him. With play still going on, the pair kicked off. The scrap continued in the dressing room and a handshaking photocall fooled no-one.
3. Dion Dublin v Robbie Savage, 2003
The blonde bombshell has irked many a fellow player over the years with his unashamedly forthright views. Savage even managed to rile the normally mild-mannered Dublin as a Second City derby between Villa and Birmingham boiled over. This 'fight' was pretty one-way, though – Dublin scythed through Savage and followed that up by nutting him.
4 Kevin Keegan v Billy Bremner, 1974
A classic football brawl from the 1970s when men were men (despite the perms). A running battle between Keegan and Bremner – punctuated by Johnny Giles felling Keegan – ended with the feisty pair scrapping and both being sent off. For some reason they both saw the need to take their shirts off, which may or may not have helped result in huge 11-game bans.
5. David Batty v Graeme Le Saux, 1995
Temperatures soared on a cold night in Moscow as Blackburn's David Batty and Graeme Le Saux saw red. The pair collided going for the same ball and a few choice words turned into a few choice punches. Current Villa boss Tim Sherwood separated them but it was too late to save Le Saux's left hand, which he had broken.
