- Chelsea had to come from behind to earn a draw against League One side Wrexham
- There was an altercation between Colwill and McClean after just two minutes.
- The game in California was the first of the Blues’ five-game pre-season tour of the United States.
Levi Colwill and James McClean were involved in a heated on-field brawl just three minutes into the Blues’ 2-2 draw with Wrexham.
Colwill, 21, reacted angrily to a late challenge from the Irishman, grabbing his shirt by the collar before sparking a brawl between the two sides.
Enzo Maresca’s side had to rely on an 82nd-minute equaliser from Lesley Ugochukwu to escape defeat at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The Blues took the lead ten minutes from time through Christopher Nkunku, who fired in after the Welsh side failed to clear Reece James’ corner.
Two second-half goals from Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott almost secured Wrexham a shock victory, but despite the equaliser, the fightback from Colwill and McClean overshadowed the result.
Levi Colwill and James McClean had to be taken off after just two minutes of Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Wrexham.
Colwill, 20, reacted angrily to a late challenge from McClean, grabbing him by the neck.
Lesley Ugochukwu scored late on for the Blues to save them from an embarrassing defeat.
McClean, who made headlines at Euro 2024 for his criticism of Declan Rice, was handed the captain’s armband for the League One side’s clash with Chelsea.
His initial challenge on Colwill looked like nothing more than a poorly timed tackle, but the England defender appeared to be taking the piss out of the former Ireland international.
After Colwill initiated the shirt assault, the pair began fighting each other before players and staff from both sides rushed to intervene.
It took several players from both sides to destroy both of them, but the incident went unpunished by the referee.
McClean is known for his aggressive nature and the winger was involved in many clashes during his time in the Premier League with West Brom and Sunderland.
In 158 league appearances, McClean received 29 bookings and a solitary red card.
The game in the United States was Enzo Maresca’s first game in charge of the Blues.
The game, played near San Francisco, was the first of Maresca’s reign with the Blues, and it marked the start of a five-game preseason tour of the United States.
Chelsea will face teams such as Celtic, Club América, Manchester City and Real Madrid over the next 11 days.
Meanwhile, Wrexham, which is co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have already played two games of a three-game tour of North America.
