Aston Villa have been charged with misconduct following a brawl in the aftermath of their 2-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday.
Tensions boiled over in the aftermath of the FA Cup clash on the road, with Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers caught in a heated altercation with Joao Palhinha for their celebrations at full-time. Players and coaching staff from both camps then piled in as tempers continued to rise, with Kevin Danso and Ezri Konsa pulling Palhinha away as Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke attempted to hold Rogers back.
As a result of player conduct, both the Villans and the Lilywhites have been charged by the Football Association for misconduct. A statement on Wednesday read: "Tottenham Hotspur FC and Aston Villa FC have been charged with misconduct following their FA Cup match on Saturday 10 January.
"It's alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players and/or officials did not behave in an improper and/or provocative way after the final whistle. Aston Villa FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC have until Friday 16 January to provide a response."
It was a game of two halves in north London, as Villa built a convincing lead in the opening 45. Emi Buendia broke the deadlock on the 22 minute mark, running onto a reverse ball from Donyell Malen before rifling home from close range.
While Randal Kolo Muani looked to have levelled matters on the verge of half-time with a cute chip over Marco Bizot, his strike was ultimately ruled out for offside. Rogers then gave Villa a 2-0 lead three minutes into stoppage time, slotting the ball past Guglielmo Vicario with his left before wheeling away in celebration.
While Wilson Odobert managed to pull one back nine minutes after play had resumed, his goal came as nothing more than a consolation prize as Spurs crashed out of the FA Cup. Footage in the aftermath then quickly cut to Palhinha and Rogers shoving one another in ire, as players and staff scrambled to cool tensions.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Thomas Frank accused Watkins of provoking Palhinha, explaining: "I don’t think so. I guess you have seen the situation through?
"I just saw it to be sure I saw what I saw. Of course, it’s all about keeping a cool head. The players gave everything, everything out there, (but) losing a tight game, season not going perfect and I think Ollie is very provoking.
"The way he is going down to celebrate in front of the Villa fans, and he is walking into Joao, he can just easily walk around. I think everyone that has been in a competitive nature, that is difficult and can trigger things."