- West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen managers were involved in a heated dispute on the touchline
- Moments later, the players were on the field, fighting in a massive brawl.
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West Ham assistant manager Billy McKinlay was sent off after furiously clashing with the Bayer Leverkusen coaching staff during Thursday’s Europa League clash at the London Stadium.
Moments after McKinlay was shown the red card by referee José María Sánchez, a massive fight broke out between West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen players on the pitch, as Michail Antonio attempted to wrestle the ball from Odilon Kossounou.
Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Cresswell and Edson Alvarez were among those who jumped to Antonio’s defense after Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah confronted him at the center of the melee.
Soon, most of the players on both sides jumped into the fight, and Tah and Antonio were reprimanded following the incident.
It is not yet known exactly what sparked the touchline brawl between both coaching teams, but McKinlay looked furious as he pointed at a member of the Leverkusen staff.
West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen players brawled on the pitch after Billy McKinlay was red carded
Referee José María Sánchez brandishes the red card after the staff altercation on the sideline
McKinlay pictured shortly before the match, with West Ham trying to overturn a 2-0 deficit.
The Leverkusen coach was also sent off by the referee shortly after assistant David Moyes was told to leave.
The German team, which celebrated winning the Bundesliga title after 11 years of dominance by Bayern Munich over the weekend, went into the second leg at the London Stadium with a 2-0 lead.
Antonio quickly halved West Ham’s deficit in the 13th minute with a well-taken goal, raising tensions between the two teams as they both fought hard to book a place in the Europa League semi-finals.