Danny Rose apologised after ugly scenes overshadowed Chelsea’s stalemate with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night.
A dozen yellow cards were dished out by referee Mark Clattenburg as emotions ran high at Stamford Bridge in a must-win game for Spurs.
The Blues did enough to claim a point and crush Tottenham’s lingering hopes of chasing down Leicester City in the race for the Premier League title.
Rose was one of nine visiting players booked and had to be separated from Chelsea’s Willian as a scuffle broke out during the first half.
Another brawl followed at the final whistle, with Rose again in the thick of it, resulting in Blues boss Guus Hiddink being sent tumbling into the submerged home dugout.
“It is not nice to see for kids here or kids watching on TV,” Rose said. “I apologise if it looked bad on TV.
“I couldn't tell you what happened, it was just handbags being thrown. I saw the Chelsea manager fell on the floor. I hope he is alright.
“People were saying from the bench that he conducted himself like a true gentleman throughout the whole game. He did not want any trouble to be started."
“It is a London derby. It is to be expected. We wanted to win and they wanted to stop us having any more say in the title race.
“There are no bad words to say about Chelsea. These are the games you want to be part of. It was a great game.”
Both clubs are expected to be charged with failing to control their players after the mass brawls, with Moussa Dembele looking at a lengthy ban for an eye gouge on Diego Costa.
Read More: John Terry reveals Chelsea agony despite piling misery on Spurs.
Watch the highlights from Chelsea's explosive draw with Tottenham:
